TRANSPORT

Aviation: Freight

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department plans to lift the temporary restrictions on the transportation of toner cartridges by air.

Theresa Villiers: There have been several changes to Government aviation security regulations in respect of ink and toner cartridges since the Yemen cargo security incident in late October 2010.
	Current measures require that printing equipment with ink or toner cartridges fitted inside, and where the cartridge weighs more than 500g, are not to be carried in air cargo or mail into, from or via the UK unless they originate from a UK validated known consignor. These measures will be in place for six months from 10 December 2010, after which we expect to implement new longer term measures to be agreed with European colleagues.
	All other restrictions on printer cartridges were lifted on 10 December 2010.

Bus Services: Disability Awareness Training

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals for mandatory disability awareness training for all bus drivers.

Norman Baker: Disability awareness training is an optional part of the Certificate of Professional Competence which professional bus drivers are legally required to hold.
	It is expected that under the proposed EU regulation on bus and coach passenger rights that operators would be required to ensure their personnel, including drivers, dealing directly with the travelling public have disability awareness training. Negotiation of that regulation should conclude in the next few months.

Parking: Disability

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to increase penalties for able-bodied drivers who park in designated disabled parking bays; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Local authorities have powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to designate by order a parking place reserved for a disabled badge holder. If an able-bodied driver parks in such a bay he is liable to receive a penalty charge notice or fixed penalty notice. If he is displaying a Blue Badge and the badge holder is not part of the trip he is also liable to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000. Penalties for parking contraventions are kept under review.

Photography: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on photography since the beginning of May 2010.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 December 2010
	The Department for Transport and its seven agencies have spent a total of £60,107 on photography since May 2010, the majority of which (£45,752) was commissioned by the Highways Agency before the current marketing freeze, and which included maintenance of a web-based photographic library now discontinued. Approximately 67% (£40,037) of the total amount was commissioned prior to May 2010.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Government Art Collection

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what  (a) discussions he held with and  (b) submissions his Department made to HM Treasury as part of the comprehensive spending review process over the valuation of the Government Art Collection; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: No discussions were held or submissions made.

Olympic Games 2012

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what  (a) correspondence,  (b) telephone calls and  (c) meetings he has had with the (i) Mayor of London and (ii) Greater London authority on the future use of the Olympic stadium since 1 October 2010;
	(2)  what  (a) correspondence,  (b) telephone calls and  (c) meetings he has had with the Olympic Park Legacy Company since 1 October 2010 on the future use of the Olympic stadium;
	(3)  what  (a) correspondence,  (b) telephone calls and  (c) meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government since 1 October 2010 on the future of the Olympic stadium and its effect on other areas of London.

Hugh Robertson: As a Founder Member of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), the Department has frequent contact with OPLC and the other Founder Members (the Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) on a range of issues, including the future of the Olympic stadium

Public Libraries: Opening Hours

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of local authority libraries where  (a) closure and  (b) a reduction in opening hours is proposed.

Edward Vaizey: Local authorities are not obliged to consult the Secretary of State about plans for their library service. In addition to information provided directly to the Department by a small number of authorities we continue to monitor proposals being made about changes to library services across England through coverage in the media, information from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and incoming correspondence.

Swimming

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the outcome was of his Department's consideration of a dual model for teaching swimming as an  (a) healthy life skill and  (b) competitive sport.

Hugh Robertson: holding answer 14 December 2010
	While it is for the Department for Education to comment on schools based teaching, broadly speaking swimming is taught as a life skill to begin with in schools.
	DCMS funding, through Sport England and UK Sport, is then focused on encouraging people of all ages to participate in sport and to support the most talented to excel; this includes swimming.

Television: Licensing

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that members of the armed forces with televisions at a home address and a base address are only required to purchase one TV licence; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The interpretation and application of the legislation on TV licensing is a matter for the BBC and how legislation applies to military accommodation is shown on the TV Licensing website:
	http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/armed-forces-personnel-AUD7/
	The website also points out that personnel posted overseas may be entitled to a part-refund of the licence fee.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Global Marine Reserves

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the establishment of global marine reserves.

Richard Benyon: The Government recognise the crucial role that marine protected areas (MPAs) play in conserving the world's marine environment. That is why we are committed domestically and internationally to taking forward the identification and protection of MPAs. Domestically, I am committed to substantially completing an ecologically coherent network of MPAs by the end of 2012.
	The UK was instrumental in the ground-breaking work which saw the first six MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction designated in the North Atlantic, which was agreed at the OSPAR ministerial meeting in September 2010. We will continue to play a key role through the relevant international organisations with respect to global marine environmental protection, especially the establishment of MPAs. This is essential if we are to meet the 2020 target agreed at the recent Convention for Biological Diversity Conference of Parties 10 in Nagoya, of
	"at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascapes".

Nappies: Waste Disposal

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the contribution that reusable nappies can make to waste prevention.

Richard Benyon: Based on data from the Environment Agency's 2006 report 'An updated lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies', which provided data on the average weight of a disposable nappy, and population estimates for England from the Office for National Statistics, approximately 575 thousand tonnes of children's disposable nappies were sent to landfill in England in 2009. This is equivalent to approximately 1% of the total amount of waste sent to landfill that year.
	While the use of reusable nappies could help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, this does not necessarily mean that switching to reusable nappies will be of net benefit to the environment. The aforementioned Environment Agency report considered a range of environmental impacts linked with the use of different types of nappy (e.g. waste generation, water and energy consumption). The report showed that the relative benefits of reusable nappies are largely determined by how they are laundered and dried. Therefore, it is not clear whether disposable or reusable nappies are better for the environment overall.
	The Government believe that parents should decide which type of nappy is most suitable for their own circumstances.

Steart Project

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the Steart Project in Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency since her appointment.

Richard Benyon: I discussed the Steart Project with the Environment Agency on 10 January, prior to the adjournment debate that my hon. Friend secured on 12 January. There have been no other discussions between the Environment Agency and current DEFRA Ministers on the subject.

Tuna

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) retailers and  (b) the Food and Drink Federation on the sale in the UK of tuna caught using purse seine nets.

Richard Benyon: I have had no discussions with retailers or the Food and Drink Federation on the sale in the UK of tuna caught using purse seine nets.

Tuna

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the practice of catching tuna using purse seine nets.

Richard Benyon: The use of purse seine nets is a legal fishing method and there are no plans, as far as I am aware, to ban this fishing method within the EU. However, in order to ensure that the use of such methods in fishing is sustainable some regional fisheries management organisations have ensured, that where scientific advice requires it, there are seasonal closures in tuna fisheries for this method of fishing. I support such measures to make fisheries more sustainable.

Tuna

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on the use of purse seine nets in the catching of tuna.

Richard Benyon: I have had no discussions with the European Commission on the specific issue of the use of purse seine nets in the catching of tuna. However, the UK plays an active part in discussions in the EU and regional fisheries management organisations, such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, on the management of tuna stocks and is at the forefront of calls for stocks to be sustainably and responsibly managed.

Tuna

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of tuna sold by retailers in England caught using purse seine nets in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold statistics on the method of capture used in the tuna sold by retailers in the UK. Therefore, no such estimate has been made by the Department.

Waste Disposal: Recycling

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage  (a) waste prevention and  (b) recycling.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Chris Heaton-Harris) on 11 January 2011,  Official Report, column 246W.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Department of Chamber and Committee Services: Ethnic Groups

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people employed as Clerks in the Department of Chamber and Committee Services of the House of Commons are from an ethnic minority.

John Thurso: Following the post-Tebbit restructuring of the House Service, there is no longer a clear definition of "Clerk" in the Department of Chamber and Committee Services (DCCS). There are 100 people within the DCCS who are in the pool of staff liable to be circulated into posts traditionally held by Clerks. Of these, five are on secondment to the House from other organisations and are therefore not employed by the House.
	Of the remaining 95 people, 86 have voluntarily supplied information on their ethnic origin. Fewer than five of them have declared themselves to be non-white.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to address the situation of failed asylum claimants who are neither legally settled nor under notice of removal.

Damian Green: All failed asylum seekers are put under notice of removal when they are informed that their application has been refused. If an applicant fails to leave voluntarily their removal from the UK may be enforced by the UK Border Agency.

Asylum

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of the withdrawal of the policy document entitled Guidance on R(S) Policydealing with Failed Asylum Claims Which May Have Lost the Benefit of an ELR Policy as a Result of Delay; and what estimate she has made of the number of cases which will be affected by the withdrawal of the policy guidance.

Damian Green: The Case Resolution Directorate (CRD) is nearing the end of its programme to review the backlog of unresolved asylum cases, and remains on track to complete the legacy programme by summer 2011. Individuals who previously fitted the criteria of the R(S) policy would have fallen within one of CRD's priorities, namely those who may qualify to be allowed to stay in the UK. It is expected that the vast majority of such cases will have already been concluded. However, an accurate estimate of the numbers potentially affected by the withdrawal of the policy was not obtained, as this would have involved the manual checking of all CRD remaining cases, which could have delayed their completion.
	All representations made on the basis of the R(S) policy prior to its withdrawal on 20 December 2010 will still be considered against the R(S) policy. Any representations made on the basis of R(S) after the withdrawal of the policy will be considered on a case by case basis. The small number of individuals who would have qualified on the basis of R(S) but whose cases have not yet been concluded are still likely to qualify for leave under existing immigration rules and policy.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of colleges on the UK Border Agency's sponsors list are inspected each year by officials of the UK Border Agency.

Damian Green: Since the opening of the Tier 4 register each sponsor has been visited at least once by UK Border Agency officials. Information on the number of visits to individual educational establishments is not collated centrally and information on the precise number of visits per year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

European Gendarmerie Force

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether personnel of the European Gendarmerie Force have been deployed in the UK.

James Brokenshire: There have been no European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) personnel deployed in the UK and the Government currently sees no circumstances in which it would consent to an EGF operation in the UK.
	The EGF is a multinational initiative of six countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Romania) aimed at improving crisis management capability in sensitive areas and supporting peacekeeping missions around the world. The UK does not participate in this initiative.

Human Trafficking: EU Action

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on the EU Directive on human trafficking.

Damian Green: I have regular discussions with the Prime Minister and other Ministers on Home Office business. Formal cross-Government consideration of the Directive took place last June, when the decision was made not to opt in to the Directive at the outset, but to review our position on adoption by other member states.

National Identity Register

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what security standards are to be applied in the destruction of the National Identity Register;
	(2)  what arrangements she has made for the secure destruction of the National Identity Register;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of destroying the National Identity Register.

Damian Green: holding answer 17 January 2011
	The standards and process being applied for the destruction of the information held on the National Identity Register (NIR) are set out in paper 'CWIC-NIR Destruction and Equipment Decommissioning' which was placed in the House of Lords Library on 1 November:
	http://deposits.parliament.uk
	Library reference DEP2010-1917.
	Destruction will be carried out by a CESG accredited and approved supplier, securely and in accordance with established secure destruction policy, procedures and guidelines. These include compliance with the HMS IA Standard No. 5-Secure Sanitisation of Protectively Marked Sensitive Information. The destruction of the NIR data will involve the physical equipment holding that data being both degaussed and physically shredded. It is estimated that cancelling ID cards and the NIR will realise net savings of £86 million over the next four years. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will incur some one-off expenditure and asset write-offs during 2010-11, including the secure destruction of the NIR. The net costs in 2010-11 will be near to £5 million. We estimate up to £400,000 will be incurred to dismantle systems and securely destroy personal data.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has discussed with the Secretary of State for Justice the eligibility of prisoners to vote in elections for police and crime commissioners.

Theresa May: holding answer 12 November 2010
	Prisoners will not be eligible to vote in Police and Crime Commissioner elections. The Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper), announced in his written ministerial statement on 20 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 150-151WS, prisoners' right to vote will be restricted to parliamentary and European elections, and only then in specific circumstances.

Visas: Females

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to provide a permanent funded scheme to enable vulnerable women in the UK on spousal visas who are subject to the no recourse to public funds rule, to access refuge accommodation for a specified period of time, in order to enable them to make applications for leave to remain.

Damian Green: A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and on 16 July 2010, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) announced an extension to the project until the end of March 2011.
	In the document "Call to End Violence against Women and Girls" on 25 November, the Home Secretary confirmed her intention to ensure that women in the UK on spouse visas who are victims of domestic violence should receive support while their case for indefinite leave is considered and that the Home Office will continue to fund support while an effective and sustainable permanent solution is established.
	Work on a longer-term solution is under way and information from the pilot so far will help inform these discussions.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Compensation

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of claimants to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme in each  (a) nation and  (b) Parliamentary constituency who have died before receiving compensation.

Charles Hendry: The number of claimants who died before receiving compensation under chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) scheme broken down by country is shown in the following table as at 16 January 2011.
	The number of claimants who died before receiving compensation under COPD Scheme broken down by Constituency will be made available in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Claimants who died before receiving compensation as at 16 January 2011 
			  Claimant country( 1)  Number 
			 England 12,027 
			 Scotland 1,855 
			 Wales 3,253 
			 No valid postcode available/overseas 760 
			   
			 Total 17,895 
			 (1) Based on parliamentary constituencies as at 2008

Departmental Working Conditions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on  (a) the space provided per employee,  (b) home working and  (c) hot desking; how many employees it has on average per desk; and how much space on average there is per employee.

Gregory Barker: The information is as follows:
	 (a) DECC policy on the space provided per employee;
	The DECC policy is to meet or exceed the minimum requirements for space per employee as stated in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
	 (b) DECC policy on home working
	The DECC policy is all staff can work flexibly, including home working on a voluntary basis, subject to the individual constraints imposed by any particular post.
	 (c) DECC policy on hot desking
	The DECC policy is all staff hot desk using a ratio of seven desks per 10 staff. There are exceptions for staff with a fixed desk as a result of reasonable adjustments to meet disability requirements, and for some senior staff.
	 (d) How many employees it has on average per desk?
	DECC has on average 1.3 employees per desk.
	 (e) How much space on average there is per employee?
	DECC has 7.9 sq m on average per employee.

Energy: Housing

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in each income decile in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales,  (d) the UK,  (e) Glasgow and  (f) Glasgow North East constituency will be eligible for the proposed warm homes discount; and what estimate he has made of the average annual level of support per household (i) in each income decile and (ii) overall.

Gregory Barker: The consultation on the structure of the warm home discount scheme, including eligibility, closed on the 14 January and a response will be published in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older, poorer pensioners through the core group, with support also available for other groups through the broader group and legacy spending. The consultation estimated that under this proposed structure, about two million households per year would be assisted.
	In the consultation, Government have proposed eligibility criteria for the core group of poorer pensioners:
	
		
			  Scheme year  Proposed eligibility criteria for consumers in the core group 
			 2011-12 In receipt of pension credit guarantee only (i.e. no savings credit)(1) 
			 2012-13 In receipt of pension credit guarantee credit only (i.e. no savings credit). 80 and over and in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
			 2013-14 In receipt of pension credit guarantee only (i.e. no savings credit). 75 and over and in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
			 2014-15 In receipt of pension credit guarantee credit only (i.e. no savings credit). And all in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
			 (1) The minimum qualifying age for pension credit is based on, and will be rising in line with, women's state pension age. Under the legislation as it presently stands, women's state pension age is gradually increasing from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020. 
		
	
	The latest published records from the Department for Work and Pensions, available via the DWP website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
	indicate the following numbers of current claimants of pension credit guarantee only or pension credit guarantee and Savings Credit in:
	 (a) England: 1.8 million
	 (b) Scotland: 216,000
	 (c) Wales: 132,000
	 (d) Great Britain: 2.2 million
	 (e) Glasgow city council: 37,950
	 (f) Glasgow North East: 6,940.
	As set out in the consultation, we estimate that the vast majority of pensioners eligible for the qualifying benefits for the warm home discount core group would be in the lowest three income deciles. All those benefiting under the core group would receive a rebate of £130 in years one and two, £135 in year three and £140 in year four.
	Additional households will receive support through the broader and legacy groups of the warm home discount by the final year of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem.
	The Government are currently reviewing the responses to the consultation on the warm home discount and will publish a response shortly. This will set out the structure of the scheme, including Government's final eligibility and delivery proposals for the core group and the resulting revised estimates of the numbers of people expected to be eligible.

Energy: Housing

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in  (a) England and  (b) Leeds North West constituency have received support from the Community Energy Saving programme since 1 September 2009.

Gregory Barker: Figures for numbers of householders benefiting from the Community Energy Saving programme (CESP) will be available in May 2011 when Ofgem is required to provide an annual report to the Secretary of State.
	These figures will include a breakdown at regional and city level. I will ensure the hon. Member receives a copy as soon as they are received.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely costs in the private rented sector arising from failure to meet the requirements of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: From late 2012, the Green Deal will offer a range of innovative finance packages allowing private landlords to install energy efficiency measures in their properties at no upfront cost.
	We would expect the private rented sector to respond positively to this opportunity. However, if the sector does not improve on a voluntarily basis, we plan to use proposed powers in the Energy Bill to require landlords to honour reasonable requests for energy efficiency improvements from 2015.
	Landlords would be required to install all the measures for which there is a financial support package, such as the Green Deal, available. They would therefore not incur costs for installation of the measures under these legislative powers. Non-compliant landlords could be fined up to £5,000, though we expect non-compliance rates to be low.

Natural Gas: Storage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the lowest recorded quantity of gas in stored reserves was in each year since 2006; and how many days' supply each figure represents based on  (a) average winter temperatures and  (b) the average daily temperature in December 2010.

Charles Hendry: Information about the quantity of gas in stored reserves, on a daily basis, is published by National Grid plc. Data going back to 8 November 2008 are in the "Operational Data: Data Item Explorer" section of National Grid's website:
	http://marketinformation.natgrid.co.uk/gas/DataItemExplorer.aspx
	Data on storage stock levels going back to 2006 are in the "Storage Monitor" section of National Grid's website:
	http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Gas/Data/storage/
	Minimum aggregate stock levels (2006 to present) are presented in the following table, with a break down by long, medium, and short-range storage (LRS, MRS, SRS)(1):
	(1) The sum of LRS, MRS, and SRS does not equate to the aggregate stock figure in this table, since the minimum stocks held in each did not occur on the same day.
	
		
			  Gas year  Date occurred  Aggregate stocks mcm  LRS mcm  MRS mcm  SRS mcm 
			 2006-07 4 April 2007 2372 1859 333 111 
			 2007-08 19 April 2008 1137 707 217 109 
			 2008-09 20 February 2009 1075 727 270 49 
			 2009-10 17 March 2010 448 266 123 43 
			 2010-11(1) 8 January 2011 1942 1462 405 45 
			 (1)( )Data up to and including 18 January 2011. 
		
	
	DECC does not undertake analysis of number of days' supply from storage based on average winter temperatures and average daily temperatures. The number of days of supply remaining from storage depends on a wide variety of factors. These include: the deliverability of each storage site; commercial incentives to withdraw gas, which are provided by the market; overall demand, which in turn is heavily influenced by weather conditions; and flows from other supply sources.

Radioactive Waste

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what proportion of the UK's high level radioactive waste is held at  (a) Sellafield and  (b) other nuclear facilities;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to locate  (a) historic and  (b) future high-level radioactive wastes at (i) Sellafield and (ii) West Cumbria.

Charles Hendry: High level radioactive waste (HLW) arises from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and all the UK's current HLW is located at Sellafield where reprocessing takes place.
	In the absence of any proposals for reprocessing from industry, the Government's view is that any new nuclear power stations that might be built in the UK should proceed on the basis that spent fuel will not be reprocessed and that plans for, and financing of, waste management should also proceed on this basis. As a result, the Government have not considered, and have no plans for, management of HLW from any new nuclear power stations.
	In terms of final HLW disposal, the Government have invited communities to enter discussions about potential involvement in a geological disposal facility siting process. So far, three local authorities in west Cumbria have 'expressed an interest' in the process and the invitation remains open for any other communities who might be interested in finding out more.
	In terms of other nuclear materials, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) draft strategy, which was subject to extensive consultation, identified the possibility of co-locating some spent fuels and intermediate level wastes at certain sites. The NDA's draft business plan, currently being consulted on, identifies two potential such projects; one for the potential movement of spent fuel from Dounreay for reprocessing at Sellafield and the second for the potential interim storage of spent fuel and related materials from a research reactor at Harwell. The amount of waste this could result in is considerably less than 1% of the current Sellafield inventory but it is important to stress that none of this is high level waste and no decisions have been taken. Before any final decisions are taken the NDA will have to complete technical studies, develop a detailed business case and engage with local stakeholders.

Renewable Energy: Lowestoft

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effect on the economy of Lowestoft of expenditure in the renewable energy sector.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not carry out analysis at town level as this would be a matter for the relevant local authority.
	To meet our 2020 renewable energy target we will need to boost deployment across the UK. The required fivefold increase in the level of renewables in a decade will bring significant benefits, including creating outstanding opportunities for the UK economy. Analysis carried out in 2009 showed that this has the potential to create up to 500,000 jobs from the £100 billion of private sector investment.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Building Regulations

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions has he had with the Construction Industry Council on  (a) enforcement of current building regulations and  (b) proposals to relax building controls; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: My officials are in regular contact with the Construction Industry Council. A response was received from them in reply to our exercise last summer asking for views on how the building regulations can be improved, added to, or slimmed down and suggestions as to how we can deliver better levels of compliance. They also participated in a workshop on the 2013 Review of the Building Regulations held by my officials on 15 September 2010.

Community Development

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition his Department uses of land of community value.

Bob Neill: The Localism Bill does not provide a definition of land of community value. This issue will be dealt with in secondary legislation, which will contain the detail of the Community Right to Buy scheme. We will be consulting on this shortly, and welcome views.

Community Development

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to the application of private property rights to land of community value.

Bob Neill: In developing the Community Right to Buy we have considered carefully the balance between the rights of property owners and the public interest in retaining for community use those assets that are important to community life. The details of the scheme will be included in secondary legislation and will be the subject of a public consultation which will be issued shortly. Issues subject to the consultation and relevant to getting this balance right will include the length of the window of opportunity and the right of owners to appeal against a local authority's decision to list their asset.

Council Tax

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average change in council tax was  (a) nationally and  (b) in Brighton and Hove council area in each year since 1997.

Bob Neill: Details of the average change in Band D area council tax (including parish precepts) both for England and for Brighton and Hove council in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	These data are available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/counciltax/
	under 'Related Downloads'. Brighton and Hove unitary authority came into existence on 1 April 1997.
	
		
			  Band D area council tax (including parish precepts) 
			   England  Brighton and Hove 
			   £  Percentage increase  £  Percentage increase 
			 1997-98 688 6.5 599 n/a 
			 1998-99 747 8.6 652 8.9 
			 1999-2000 798 6.8 698 7.0 
			 2000-01 847 6.1 781 11.9 
			 2001-02 901 6.4 828 6.0 
			 2002-03 976 8.2 923 11.4 
			 2003-04 1,102 12.9 1,074 16.4 
			 2004-05 1,167 5.9 1,162 8.2 
			 2005-06 1,214 4.1 1,219 4.8 
			 2006-07 1,268 4.5 1,278 4.9 
			 2007-08 1,321 4.2 1,342 4.9 
			 2008-09 1,373 3.9 1,396 4.1 
			 2009-10 1,414 3.0 1,447 3.6 
			 2010-11 1,439 1.8 1,483 2.5

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) names and  (b) salaries are of senior civil service staff who have (i) moved post within and (ii) left his Department since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The numbers of senior civil service (SCS) staff who have moved post within, and left the Department from 1 May 2010 to 31 December 2010 are shown in the following table. Please note that names and salaries (other than the Permanent Secretary which is already in the public domain) have not been included as this constitutes personal information.
	
		
			   Number of SCS staff 
			 Leavers (1)13 
			 Movers (2)14 
			 (1) Leavers include the previous Permanent Secretary (Sir Peter Housden) who had a salary between £175,000 and £179,999. (2) Two of these employees have moved twice within DCLG during this period.

Homelessness: Temporary Accommodation

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households were in temporary accommodation in Stoke-on-Trent in each quarter since 2005.

Grant Shapps: The number of households in temporary accommodation, arranged by Stoke-on-Trent city council under homelessness legislation, at the end of each quarter since 2005 is given in the following table:
	
		
			  H omeless households in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter ,  Stoke- o n-Trent 2005 Q1 to 2010 Q3 
			Number 
			 2005 Q1 18 
			  Q2 19 
			  Q3 18 
			  Q4 19 
			 2006 Q1 22 
			  Q2 26 
			  Q3 34 
			  Q4 1 
			 2007 Q1 7 
			  Q2 7 
			  Q3 8 
			  Q4 5 
			 2008 Q1 8 
			  Q2 5 
			  Q3 6 
			  Q4 5 
			 2009 Q1 2 
			  Q2 6 
			  Q3 5 
			  Q4 2 
			 2010 Q1 5 
			  Q2 4 
			  Q3 14 
			  Source: Quarterly PIE returns 
		
	
	Stoke-on-Trent city council reported in 2006 Q4 that they had undertaken a comprehensive review of their homelessness and housing needs services and homelessness strategy in summer 2005 resulting in a reduction in the number of households in temporary accommodation the following year.
	Information about local authorities' discharge of their duties under homelessness legislation is collected on quarterly PIE returns. Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Data collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to ensure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available and this information is also collected.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to discuss the development of skills and technology for zero-carbon homes with the  (a) Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and  (b) National Housing Federation.

Andrew Stunell: My Department continues to work closely with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and other partners on the development of skills and technology for zero carbon homes. Recent examples include the Government's response to the consultation on "Meeting the Low Carbon Skills Challenge" which was published in December 2010, and the report by the construction innovation and growth team on "Low Carbon Construction" which was published in November 2010, to which the National Housing Federation also contributed.
	We will continue to work with all relevant partners in the development and delivery of the zero carbon homes policy. The Zero Carbon Hub, which my Department supports, is taking forward a number of work streams which will help develop the skills and technologies needed for zero carbon homes. I would encourage organisations like the National Housing Federation to involve themselves in the work of the hub.

Housing: Construction

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to accelerate the construction of low-carbon buildings in North Swindon constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to achieving higher standards of sustainability in new housing and increasing the supply, but we will not impose a solution on a particular area about how new homes should be built. The Triangle development, in my hon. Friend's North Swindon constituency, is one example of a locally led eco-development, showing what is possible through good leadership.
	I have recently reported on progress with our policy to enable all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016, and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) set out just before Christmas our plans for further work to deliver our commitment to increase the energy efficiency of new homes through Part L (conservation of fuel and power) of the building regulations.
	These policies will contribute to accelerating the construction of low carbon housing in North Swindon, as elsewhere in England.

Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new homes which are required to meet demand in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) nationally.

Andrew Stunell: The latest household projections for England were published on 26 November 2010 and can be found on the DCLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/2033household1110
	The household projections are based on the ONS population projections and provide the household numbers that would result if the assumptions based on previous demographic trends in the population and household formation rates were to be realised in practice. The projections therefore provide an indication of the possible demographic demand for new homes. However, it should be noted that future demographic trends might not be in line with past ones, and other factors-such as income growth-will also affect effective demand.
	The control over new house building is in the hands of local authorities and the community. The Government are committed to increasing housing supply and seeing more of the homes that people want, in the places that people want them, to meet Britain's housing need. The New Homes Bonus, announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps) on 12 November 2010, will create a simple, powerful, transparent and permanent incentive to increase the supply of new homes and shift power back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.

Housing: Empty Property

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic properties in Watford have been empty for more than a year.

Bob Neill: holding answer 17 January 2011
	In October 2010, Watford borough council reported there were 622 long-term empty dwellings in their area.
	Long-term empties are regarded as those dwellings
	"which are unoccupied and substantially unfurnished".

Independent Living Centres

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the future of centres for independent living.

Andrew Stunell: My Department is not responsible for the future of centres for independent living.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have published online their expenditure on items over £500 to date.

Bob Neill: Our latest assessment is that at least 195 local authorities are publishing their spending data online.

Local Government Finance

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to maintain a record of the compliance of local authorities with transparency requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: My Department is compiling an online list of local authorities that are publishing information on spend over £500 to assist local accountability.

Local Government: Pay

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority chief executives have had a reduction in the level of their salary since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Information on local authority chief executive salaries is not held centrally. Our transparency reforms will ensure greater openness and local accountability on senior pay in local government.
	We understand that a number of local authority chief executives have taken a pay cut, for instance media reports are that:
	Kevin Lavery (CEO of Cornwall) has taken a 5% pay cut from his £200,000 salary;
	Joanna Killian (CEO of Essex CC and Brentwood BC) has taken a 5% pay cut from her £237,000 salary;
	Phil Norrey (CEO of Devon CC) has taken a 5% pay cut from his £157,000 salary;
	Ged Fitzgerald (CEO of Liverpool CC) has taken a 3% pay cut from £203,500 to £197,500.
	Tom Riordan (CEO of Leeds CC) has taken a 5% pay cut to just over £176,000.
	This list is not comprehensive in any way. We would encourage more chief executives to follow this best practice.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had on permitting local planning appeals to stop developments where they are considered inappropriate by the local community; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Government's reforms to the planning system seek to avoid the need for appeals to the Planning Inspectorate by all parties. We are strengthening the ability of those with a legitimate interest to make their views heard and have them taken into account through neighbourhood planning and mandatory pre-application consultations with local interests for the largest schemes. We want to move to a more collaborative approach to planning. We are discussing the provisions of the Localism Bill with a wide range of interests. Our priority is to get our initial reforms in place.

Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) nationally are on social housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The number of households registered on social housing waiting lists in each local authority, each statistical region, and in England, as at 1 April each year from 1997 to 2010, is published on the DCLG website in Table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1783262.xls

Waste Disposal: Expenditure

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority spent on waste collection and management in the last year for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: I have today placed in the Library of the House a table that gives, by each local authority in England, the amount spent on waste collection and management for the financial year 2009-10.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Benefit

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress has been made on assessing the effects of the proposed changes to the administration of child benefit, with particular reference to the accrual of national insurance credits.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bolton West (Julie Hilling) on 17 November 2010,  Official Report, column 827W.

Cold Weather Payments

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the adequacy of the use of coastal weather stations to assess cold weather payments for applicants who live inland, where temperatures may be lower than those on the coast.

Steve Webb: The cold weather payment scheme involves linking groups of postcodes areas to 91 Meteorological (Met) Office weather stations around the UK. The linkages are made by taking account of topography, the extent of built-up areas and the distance available from weather stations. Each postcode district is assigned to a station with the most similar climate in terms of mean winter temperature.
	The cold weather payment scheme is reviewed annually after the end of each winter to assess the adequacy of all weather stations linkages. Expert advice is sought from the Met Office and changes made where appropriate before the start of the next winter period. As part of the next review we will consider the use of costal weather stations for applicants who live inland.

Construction: Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent assessment of levels of health and safety awareness among construction businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive's construction division regularly assess the level of health and safety awareness among construction businesses via a variety of mechanisms including its inspection programme, research and reviewing industry surveys. These show an improved awareness of health and safety across the industry but this is much less pronounced among small and medium-sized businesses.

Disability Living Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency he expects to be affected by the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from those in residential care homes.

Maria Miller: Estimate of numbers of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are available on a Government office region wide basis. We estimate approximately 80,000 people who claim DLA and live in residential care will be affected by this measure in Great Britain, of which approximately 7000 are resident in the West Midlands Government office region.

Disability Living Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance are resident in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency.

Maria Miller: The information is reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			  D isability living allowance recipients in Birmingham Hall Green parliamentary constituency-May 2010 
			   Number 
			 Birmingham Hall Green 6,820 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Constituencies used for May 2010 are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. These figures are published in the House of Commons Library and at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/dla/ccparlc/ccsex/a_carate_r_ccparlc_c_ccsex_may10.html  Source: DWP Information Directorate: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS)

Health and Safety Laws Review

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what timetable he has set for implementation of the recommendations of Lord Young's Health and Safety Review.

Chris Grayling: The key implementation milestones for the recommendations of Lord Young's health and safety review are shown at annex M to his report "Common Sense, Common Safety", which was published on 15 October 2010. The milestones were agreed by Lord Young with the department or body responsible for taking forward each recommendation.

Incapacity Benefit

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of people that claimed incapacity benefit in (i) Hastings, (ii) Hastings and Rye constituency, (iii) East Sussex and (iv) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of working age incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants (IB/SDA), as a percentage of the working age population, in East Sussex, Hastings local authority, England, and Hastings and Rye parliamentary constituency-May 2010 
			   Caseload  Percentage of the working age population 
			 England 1,693,872 5.3 
			 East Sussex county 15,770 5.6 
			 Hastings local authority 4,570 8.8 
			 Hastings and Rye constituency 5,050 8.6 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place. 2. Percentages for England and East Sussex have been calculated using mid 2009 population estimates, percentages for Hastings and Rye parliamentary constituency have been calculated using mid 2007 experimental population estimates. 3. Population estimates used are for working age-males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59. 4. East Sussex county includes: Hastings, Eastbourne, Lewes, Rother and Wealden local authorities. 5. Figures do not include Employment Support Allowance (ESA) which was introduced in October 2008 for new claimants. 6. State pension age: The age at which women reach state pension age will gradually increase from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. This table has been prepared using males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59 and will therefore not match published figures.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS

Jobcentre Plus: Employment

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent work Jobcentre Plus has undertaken with the Department for Communities and Local Government to assess local employment levels;
	(2)  what research Jobcentre Plus has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of public sector expenditure reductions on employment levels in different parts of the UK.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus has a good track record of dealing with fluctuations in local employment levels, tailoring its services to meet demand. This has been achieved by engaging across all Government Departments including Department for Communities and Local Government to assess local employment levels. This engagement will continue in the future.

Jobcentre Plus: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on access to jobcentres in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what recent representations he has received on access to jobcentres in rural areas. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In terms of previous representations, we have received the occasional letter from customers in rural locations but not in such numbers which would indicate that there is a specific problem.
	I am acutely aware that customers in more rural locations face particular difficulties and we take care to consider these when delivering policies and processes. For example, where there is a need to see someone face-to-face, we will take the individual's circumstances into account. This may mean arranging the time of a work focused interview around the customers transport links, offering to undertake a work focused interview in the customer's home location or somewhere more mutually convenient and offer assistance with travel and child care costs where possible.
	In addition to these services, where a journey by public transport would take the customer more than one hour (door to door) or result in an absence from home in excess of four hours, Jobcentre Plus would consider offering these customers the facility to make postal declarations rather than attend in person every fortnight.
	Jobcentre Plus also deploys a number of Mobile Units to help deliver a range of advisory services to our rural communities. Over and above the use of these Mobile Units, Jobcentre Plus also has a presence in approximately 1500 outreach premises such as children's centres, community centres, libraries and youth centres. Services offered from these outreach locations range from open access to jobsearch activity through our external jobpoints to one-to-one work sessions for Jobcentre Plus priority customers. The extent of co-location can vary from a few hours each week to a full time presence. These decisions are taken by local managers in conjunction with partner organisations to meet local need.
	New policies introduced by Jobcentre Plus are assessed to see whether they are likely to have any differential social, economic, environmental or geographical impacts. This ensures that customers in rural communities are not disproportionately disadvantaged by any new policies and procedures.

Poverty: Children

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in  (a) absolute and  (b) relative poverty in (i) North West Durham constituency, (ii) the North East and (iii) England.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for North East of England and England are set out in the table. The latest available Government office region data cover 2006-07 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of children living in (a) absolute poverty Before Housing Costs (BHC) and (b) relative poverty (BHC) in the North East of England and in England 
			  2006-07 to 2008-09  Number  (million)  Percentage 
			 North East absolute poverty 0.1 14 
			 North East relative poverty 0.1 28 
			 England absolute poverty 1.4 13 
			 England relative poverty 2.4 22 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Number of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes Before Housing Costs.  6. Each of the measures is defined as: Absolute poverty: children living in households with less than 60% of 1998-99 median household income held constant in real terms. Relative poverty: children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income.  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP

Poverty: Rural Areas

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of  (a) family and  (b) child poverty in rural communities in England in each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: The Government do not forecast how many families or children they expect to be in poverty each year because child poverty is dependent on a number of factors which are difficult to reliably predict.
	HMT's published analysis shows that the measures that can be robustly assessed from the 2010 spending review and June Budget will not lead to an increase in child poverty over the next two years. This analysis is not carried out separately for rural communities.
	The latest data available from the Households Below Average Incomes for 2008-09 show that in England, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 15% in rural areas compared to 23% in urban areas and the proportion of families in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 19% in urban areas.
	 Notes
	1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These use disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
	2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
	3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years.
	4. Proportions of children and families in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	5. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs.
	6. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one or more families. Families can include individuals over state pension age.
	7. The measure is defined as:
	Relative poverty: children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income.

Social Security Benefits: Aberdeen

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any private partners have been engaged as part of the benefits reassessment trial programme in Aberdeen.

Chris Grayling: Atos Healthcare are involved in the IB reassessment trial as an existing private sector partner delivering health care services. Specifically they perform the work capability assessments (WCAs) for customers being reassessed.
	Other private and voluntary organisations may also be involved in supporting customers back to work. This work focused provision under the 'Work Choice' arrangements aims to provide a range of tailored specialist services to respond to the individual needs of disabled people and employers. Access to external support is also available via the local authority, for example the Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations (ACVO).

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people claiming  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) attendance allowance receive awards for an indefinite period for each condition.

Maria Miller: The number of people claiming disability living allowance and attendance allowance and who have been awarded benefit for an indefinite period is in the following table:
	
		
			  Benefit  Caseload  Number of indefinite awards  Proportion of indefinite awards (percentage) 
			 Disability living allowance 3,157,300 2,239,500 70.9 
			 Attendance allowance 1,614,200 1,556,700 96.4 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Caseload show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate. Figures are from 5% sample data. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Social Security Benefits: Eligibility

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the state is of infraction proceedings initiated against the UK by the European Commission in respect of the right to reside test.

Chris Grayling: The UK received a letter from the European Commission in June 2010 challenging the right to reside element of the habitual residence test for access to income related benefits.
	We responded formally to the Commission's letter in July. In our view, the current rules are within the law and are right for the UK; and changing them now would not be in our interest. Our rules fully support the freedom of workers within the EU, while making sure that there are reasonable restrictions on access to social security for those who have never worked in the UK. This prevents unsustainable burdens being placed on our social security system.
	We are engaged in constructive discussions with the European Commission, and continue to argue our case and work towards a favourable outcome. We have also successfully pushed for a wider debate among member states on access to non-contributory benefits for people moving within the EU.

Unemployment: Young People

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the cost to the Exchequer of long-term youth unemployment.

Chris Grayling: The Department has not specifically commissioned any research or undertaken evaluation specifically focusing on the cost to the Exchequer of long-term youth unemployment.
	However, the Government recognise the need to help young people into work and the scarring effect of long-term unemployment. This is why from summer 2011 we are introducing a Work Programme, which young people will access and which will deliver personalised employment support tailored to an individual's needs. In addition we are making Jobcentre Plus more flexible to help young people to find the right support to make the transition into work, creating work experience opportunities, encouraging volunteering for all unemployed people and investing in training and apprenticeships.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether any recipients of carer's allowance will have a reduction in the level of their payments as a result of the introduction of the proposed universal credit;
	(2)  what his policy is on the inclusion of carer's allowance within his proposals for universal credit.

Maria Miller: The Government recognise that the UK's 6 million carers play an indispensable role in looking after family members who need support.
	We are carefully considering whether changes to carer's allowance will be necessary to take account of the introduction of universal credit in order to provide clearer, more effective support for carers.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been allocated by his Department to voluntary sector organisations in pursuit of big society objectives since the Comprehensive spending review announcement.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has not allocated any funding specifically for big society objectives since the spending review announcement in October 2010. The Department is committed to close working with voluntary sector organisations and the work programme, for example, will utilise best practice from both voluntary and private sector organisations to help people into employment.

Work Programme

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evidence his Department evaluated to determine maximum payments to work programme providers for supporting different client groups.

Chris Grayling: The Department drew expertise and specialist knowledge from a wide range of sources when determining the maximum payments for customer groups under the Work Programme, including consulting with financiers and providers, seeking specialist advice from independent experts, and examining evidence from previous employment programmes such as Pathways to Work and the Flexible New Deal.
	We are confident that the maximum prices reached will offer a challenging, but workable, model for providers to deliver against, and offer appropriate incentives for providers to offer support to all customer groups, including the hardest to help.

Work Programme

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forecast of annual unemployment among individuals aged 18 to 24 years his Department used to inform the Work Programme prospectus forecast of client caseloads for Work Programme providers.

Chris Grayling: The Department produces projections of customers likely to reach Work Programme referral points for business planning purposes, which are aligned to the overall independent claimant count forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of the autumn forecast.
	These projections have been adjusted to take into account policy differences between the Work Programme and legacy employment programmes, and to include transitions from legacy programmes.

Young Person's Guarantee

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library an analysis of the £320 million of estimated savings to the public purse arising from the cancellation of the Young Person's Guarantee.

Chris Grayling: The £320 million savings announced on 24 May 2010 comprised of £290 million resulting from the closure of the future jobs fund to new bids.
	At up to £6,500 per person the future jobs fund is five times more expensive than some other elements of the Young Person's Guarantee. Moreover the future jobs fund creates temporary, short term posts and the grants do not include any incentives to move people into permanent jobs.
	A further £30 million was saved through the ending of the £1,000 recruitment subsidy to new claimants on 30 June 2010. The subsidy proved to be poor value for money at it had no tangible effect on reducing unemployment.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Brazil: HMS Clyde

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Brazilian Government on its decision not to allow HMS Clyde to dock in Rio de Janeiro.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed the issue with the Brazilian Foreign Minister.
	The Government are disappointed by the Government of Brazil's decision to not grant diplomatic clearance for HMS Clyde on this occasion, but we respect Brazil's right to make such a decision.
	The UK enjoys a close relationship with Brazil and we look forward to enhanced co-operation with President Rousseff's new government.

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the most recent previous employment was of each senior member of staff who has been employed on a fixed-term contract in his Department since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Under the Data Protection Principles in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), it is not possible to release details of the previous employment of members of staff of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed on a fixed-term contract in his Department; and what the job title of each is.

Alistair Burt: According to our records, as of 18 January 2011 there are 37 staff currently employed on a fixed term contract, including interns. All these staff were appointed in accordance with the rules set out by the Civil Service Commissioners. More detailed information about the employment details of individuals is not normally disclosed.

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) total and  (b) average annual salary was of staff employed on fixed-term contracts in his Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: According to our records as of 18 January 2011, the total gross basic salary of staff employed on fixed term contracts is approximately £2,161,856, which averages £58,428.54 per member of staff.

Foreign Relations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of the UK's relations with  (a) Cuba,  (b) North Korea,  (c) Venezuela,  (d) Russia and  (e) Iran; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK favours a policy of principled engagement with Cuba as the best means of achieving our objectives, especially on human rights. We have good diplomatic relations and good co-operation in a number of areas of common interest, including trade, counter-narcotics, climate change and child protection. We do however remain committed to holding the Cuban Government to account to its international commitments in governance and human rights. We have pushed for an end to restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and assembly in Cuba and the release of all political prisoners, and will continue to do so.
	On North Korea, we have a policy of engagement through respective embassies in both countries. This engagement offers the potential for change, and enables us to raise difficult issues, which is important particularly during times of heightened tension. We are also able to carry out a programme of humanitarian projects and English language teacher training. Relations are measured to reflect concerns about North Korea's nuclear programme and their poor human rights record.
	On Russia, since my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Medvedev stressed their desire for a stronger, more positive relationship, there has been progress in developing commercial ties and some co-operation on foreign policy priorities. Our bilateral differences remain, and the UK will promote and protect its interests vigorously. For example, we remain deeply concerned about human rights and the rule of law in Russia, and we continue to raise this issue with the Russian Government, including through our bilateral human rights dialogue.
	The UK enjoys cordial relations with Venezuela and we co-operate on areas of mutual interest including sustainable development and community policing. We follow developments in Venezuela closely. This includes the implications of new laws passed by the last Congress, particularly the Enabling Law, and the legislative programme of the new Congress.
	As regards Iran, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the noble Lord Kilclooney on 11 January 2011 by my right hon. Friend Lord Howell,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA429.

Sierra Leone: Press Freedom

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the safety of foreign journalists in Sierra Leone; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The safety of British nationals is the Government's first concern. We have no evidence that foreign journalists' safety is at greater or lesser risk than other foreign nationals visiting Sierra Leone. We encourage all British nationals intending to travel to Sierra Leone to read our travel advice which includes advice on safety and security. We support and encourage freedom of the press everywhere.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the security situation around the boundary between northern and southern Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: Between 7 and 10 January 2011 there were reports of fighting in the Abyei region between the Misseriya and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army/Joint Integrated Police Units. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to President Kiir on 9 January and Vice President Taha on 13 January and urged them both to ensure restraint and calm between the parties.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  whether expenditure by his Department on overseas students and refugees will be classified as official development assistance  (a) this year and  (b) in subsequent years;
	(2)  whether university scholarships provided by his Department for students from developing countries will be classified as official development assistance  (a) this year and  (b) in subsequent years.

Andrew Mitchell: In 2011 the Department of International Development (DFID) will continue to provide support to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission to fund students from Commonwealth countries to come to study in the UK. This will be classified as official development assistance in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) definition. Funding for the programme in future years is still to be determined.
	DFID does not provide any other support for overseas students. DFID does not provide direct support for refugees in the UK. Other UK Government spending on refugees will be classified as official development assistance in line with the OECD definition.

Developing Countries: Water

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's  (a) multilateral and  (b) bilateral aid programmes were spent on water and sanitation in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID) expenditure are published annually in 'Statistics on International Development' (SID) which is available on the DFID website and in the Library of the House.
	In 2009-10 3% (£106 million) of DFID's bilateral aid programme was spent on water and sanitation programmes. An estimated 4% (£88 million) of DFID's multilateral aid programme was spent by the relevant agencies on water and sanitation programmes in 2008-09. Final figures for 2009-10 are not available.

Developing Countries: Water

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has provided for water and sanitation in  (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo,  (b) Afghanistan,  (c) South Sudan and  (d) Darfur in each year since 2000.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral expenditure on water and sanitation in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan between 2004-05 and 2009-10 is as follows. We are unable to provide information on expenditure prior to these dates or to break down expenditure in Sudan by region without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Afghanistan  Democratic Republic of Congo  Sudan 
			 2004-05 n/a n/a 3,250 
			 2005-06 n/a n/a 689,357 
			 2006-07 1,000,000 5,000 1,028,568 
			 2007-08 288,522 484,010 2,004,276 
			 2008-09 3,797,409 2,864,620 2,535,303 
			 2009-10 383,554 3,199,999 7,033,059 
			 "n/a" = Data is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the use of the triwall aerial delivery system in humanitarian aid operations.

Alan Duncan: Triwall is a commercial company that has developed a way of dropping humanitarian supplies in cardboard boxes from aircraft. The Department for International Development (DFID) considers airdrops of supplies to be a last resort for food distribution because they risk supplies being grabbed by the strongest people in the population, and can even worsen the humanitarian plight of more vulnerable people.
	DFID does not make airborne drops in humanitarian aid operations itself. Where DFID delivers relief supplies it does so with partner agencies, who normally distribute food at ground level. This method is easier to control, ensuring that those who are most vulnerable and need the supplies most receive them.
	In particular circumstances, however, such as in violent conflict where isolated populations cannot be reached by land, airdrops can be an important tool. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) plays a leading role in such operations and has delivered 1 million tonnes of food in this way to Sudan, Angola and Somalia over the last 20 years.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department expects to publish its multilateral aid review.

Andrew Mitchell: As set out in the Department for International Development's (DFID's) Business Plan 2011-15, the findings of the Multilateral Aid Review will be published by the end of February 2011.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department expects to publish its bilateral aid review.

Andrew Mitchell: As set out in the Department for International Development's (DFID's) Business Plan 2011-15, the findings of the Bilateral Aid Review will be published by the end of February 2011.

Sri Lanka: Floods

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is providing to Sri Lanka following the floods in that country in January 2011.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the provision of emergency food assistance to flood-affected people in the east of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the recent floods in the east of Sri Lanka on redevelopment in the area.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the World Food Programme on the provision of emergency food assistance to flood-affected people in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The British high commission in Colombo is in close contact with the Sri Lankan authorities, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations over the impact of recent flooding in Sri Lanka and the response to it. Current assessments are that as many as 1,063,000 people have been affected, with about 50 deaths. 3,000 houses have been destroyed and 175,000 damaged. Of longer term concern is the likely damage that has taken place to the current rice harvest and the prospects for the next planting later this year.
	We anticipate that an emergency appeal for assistance, coordinated by the United Nations, will be launched on Thursday 20 January. This appeal is expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of the damage. The case for a direct contribution to the relief effort by the Department for International Development (DFID) can then be considered following a full assessment of how UK aid may most effectively meet critical needs.
	The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has announced a contribution of €2 million towards the relief effort, the UK-funded element of which is approximately £230,000 (13.7%). The World Food Programme is closely involved in the relief effort, and will be among the recipients of this contribution by ECHO.

Trace the Tax Campaign

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with  (a) companies and  (b) accounting boards on the Trace the Tax campaign.

Alan Duncan: Department of International Development (DFID) Ministers and officials often meet companies and other organisations and discuss a wide range of subjects.
	A number of the issues to which the Trace the Tax campaign refers are currently being considered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) Tax and Development Task Force. DFID and Her Majesty's Treasury officials participate in the Task Force alongside companies, standards bodies, civil society organisations and developing country tax authorities.

JUSTICE

Appeals: Social Security Benefits

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many social security cases were brought to the Tribunal Service in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency in the last 12 months; and how many such cases were not dealt with within the 14-week target time.

Jonathan Djanogly: The target in the 2010-11 Tribunals Service Business Plan is for the First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support to issue a final decision for 75% of cases within 16 weeks of receipt of appeals.
	The Tribunals Service does not have an administrative office in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. Appeals submitted within the. Hon. Member's constituency are heard at the Haverfordwest hearing venue. Within the last 12 months the Haverfordwest hearing cleared 598 appeals. Of this total, 356 (60%) were within target and 242 (40%) were disposed of outside the target time.
	Performance below target has resulted from an unexpectedly high level of appeals, particularly against employment support allowance decisions. In response, the Tribunals Service has significantly increased its capacity and, nationally, 47% more social security and child support appeals were cleared in September 2010 compared to September 2009. Further capacity increases are in hand.

Court: Closures

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what response he made to representations made by solicitors practising in Lowestoft as part of the consultation on the closure of Lowestoft County Court;
	(2)  if he will assess the effect on vulnerable persons in the Lowestoft area of changes in the time taken to grant  (a) occupation orders and  (b) non-molestation orders as a result of the closure of Lowestoft County Court.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation response papers and impact assessments for the HMCS Area of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk can be found on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations-closed-with-response.htm
	While Lowestoft county court is to close and the administrative work be transferred to Norwich county court, hearings will remain at the courthouse. Retaining the building as a hearing centre also enables a part-time counter service as well as information, drop box and copying facilities to remain available for local court users. No significant impact on the time taken to grant occupation or non-molestation orders is expected.

Drugs: Convictions

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of convictions for drug possession of controlled substances resulted in prison sentences in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009 in (i) the UK, (ii) Sussex and (iii) Brighton and Hove.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody, for possession of, and possession with intent to supply, a controlled drug, in England and Wales, Sussex police force area, and Sussex (Central) Local Justice Area (in which Brighton and Hove magistrates court is located), for the years 2007 to 2009 can be viewed in the table as follows.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody, for possession of, and possession with intent to supply, a controlled drug, England and Wales, Sussex police force area, and Sussex (Central) Local Justice Area, 2007 to2009( 1,2) 
			  Area/year  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proportion of found guilty sentenced to immediate custody (Percentage) 
			 England and Wales
			 2007 37,221 4,402 12 
			 2008(3) 44,530 5,119 11 
			 2009 47,655 4,987 10 
			  Of which:
			 Sussex Police Force Area
			 2007 751 66 9 
			 2008 917 103 11 
			 2009 1,024 127 12 
			  Of which:
			 Sussex (Central) Local Justice Area
			 2007 201 5 2 
			 2008 244 12 5 
			 2009 242 4 2 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Drugs: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the cost to the criminal justice system of dealing with  (a) alcohol and  (b) drug- related crimes in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The MoJ has not carried out a systematic analysis of the cost to the criminal justice system of dealing with alcohol and drug related crimes in each of the last three years. Such an analysis would require considerable resources. However, two reports: Home Office Online Report 16/06 and Impact Assessment on the alcohol code published alongside the Police and Crime Bill provide estimates of some aspects of the impact of drug and alcohol related offending.

Legal Aid

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received legal aid in each year since 1997.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	The LSC's figures for the total number of acts of assistance for civil and criminal legal aid for each of the financial years 1997-98 to 2009-10 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Acts of assistance (million) 
			 1997-98 3.49 
			 1998-99 3.43 
			 1999-2000 3.14 
			 2000-01 3.43 
			 2001-02 2.82 
			 2002-03 2.66 
			 2003-04 2.63 
			 2004-05 2.43 
			 2005-06 2.61 
			 2006-07 2.66 
			 2007-08 2.50 
			 2008-09 2.87 
			 2009-10 2.96

Legal Aid

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on his proposed changes to legal aid; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: My Department has already received a number of representations on the Government's proposals for legal aid reform in advance of the closing date for the consultation on 14 February. My intention is to publish a response to the consultation in the spring, which will provide an analysis of all the representations made.

Legal Aid

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of legal aid for immigration applications for indefinite leave to remain in the UK arising from domestic or other forms of gender-related violence.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are currently consulting on all their legal aid proposals, including the removal of all non-detention immigration cases from the scope of legal aid. This would include applications for indefinite leave to remain that arise from domestic violence.

Legal Aid: Criminal Defence Service

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent and how many acts of assistance were rendered on legal aid through the Criminal Defence Service in respect of  (a) Very High Cost Criminal,  (b) complex fraud and  (c) other cases in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Complex fraud cases are funded under the Very High Cost (Criminal) Cases scheme. Legal aid expenditure on complex fraud and on the high cost case scheme since its inception in 2001, together with other non VHCC expenditure under the Criminal Defence Service was as follows.
	
		
			   VHCC (£ million)  VHCC fraud (£ million)  Non VHCC (expenditure £ million)  Total CDS  (expenditure £ million) 
			 2000-01 n/a n/a n/a 872.4 
			 2001-02 7.9 6.6 974.5 982.4 
			 2002-03 14.5 12.6 1081.2 1,095.70 
			 2003-04 34.1 25 1144.4 1,178.50 
			 2004-05 97.5 55.9 1094.6 1,192.10 
			 2005-06 104.2 56.9 1092.6 1,196.80 
			 2006-07 106.7 57.1 1064.7 1,171.40 
			 2007-08 124.8 66.8 1054.1 1,178.90 
			 2008-09 116 56.9 1058.8 1,174.80 
			 2009-10 95.6 54.1 1024.9 1,120.50 
			 n/a = Not applicable 
		
	
	The cost of complex fraud cases commenced before the full introduction of the VHCC scheme is included under non VHCC expenditure. It is not possible to disaggregate complex fraud from other expenditure in that category.

Legal Aid: Criminal Defence Service

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent and how many acts of assistance were rendered on legal aid through the Housing Duty Solicitor Scheme in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Expenditure and acts of assistance on legal aid through the Housing Duty Solicitor Scheme from 2005-06 to 2009-10 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Acts of assistance  Expenditure 
			 2005-06 12,031 1,141,000 
			 2006-07 27,562 2,869,000 
			 2007-08 30,472 3,006,000 
			 2008-09 33,842 3,251,000 
			 2009-10 31,831 3,093,000 
		
	
	Between 2001 and 2005 the Legal Services Commission funded 13 pilot housing duty schemes as part of their research into alternative methods of delivery of legal services. These pilots assisted approximately 5,000 people per year at a total cost of approximately £2.2 million for the four year period. A yearly breakdown for this period could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid: Criminal Defence Service

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent and how many acts of assistance were rendered on legal aid through the Community Legal Service in respect of  (a) family,  (b) housing,  (c) welfare benefit,  (d) debt,  (e) immigration,  (f) mental health,  (g) employment,  (h) community care,  (i) education,  (j) action against the police,  (k) clinical negligence,  (l) consumer,  (m) public law,  (n) personal injury and  (o) other cases in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Community Legal Service acts of assistance by category of law are shown in Table 1. Figures split by category are only available for the last six years. Expenditure in the same categories is shown in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Volumes 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Family 407,143 419,115 413,106 381,506 412,049 451,154 
			 Mental Health 31,085 34,509 34,547 35,663 36,718 38,632 
			 Immigration 96,095 93,032 92,826 86,646 97,268 101,633 
			 Debt 58,686 102,954 121,689 111,834 133,378 147,196 
			 Housing 95,050 135,170 172,993 169,455 186,241 184,944 
			 Welfare Benefits 72,630 98,999 125,200 126,628 137,605 143,865 
			 Employment 9,578 23,145 22,309 22,702 28,261 31,796 
			 Community Care 4,048 4,904 5,186 5,549 8,449 9,605 
			 Actions Against police 5,475 5,483 5,721 5,336 5,799 5,898 
			 Consumer 4,458 4,413 4,336 3,812 3,577 3,250 
			 Clinical Negligence 9,322 7,941 7,919 7,697 7,480 7,472 
			 Education 3,177 7,668 12,298 9,284 7,362 5,541 
			 Personal Injury 3,449 2,933 2,823 1,900 1,668 1,747 
			 Public Law 2,609 2,958 2,955 3,302 3,897 3,959 
			 Miscellaneous 11,146 12,017 11,058 7,962 7,765 5,592 
			 Total 813,951 955,241 1,034,966 979,276 1,077,517 1,142,284 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Expenditure( 1) 
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Family 490.0 537.8 549.1 582.7 623.6 596.8 
			 Mental Health 48.4 28.0 28.3 31.7 30.5 36.2 
			 Immigration 171.3 101.8 81.6 87.0 87.7 88.8 
			 Debt 8.3 24.6 23.9 21.1 26.9 33.1 
			 Housing 46.8 48.8 51.5 52.4 59.1 59.9 
			 Welfare Benefits 11.3 22.5 23.1 22.3 24.8 28.3 
			 Employment 5.3 6.5 5.9 6.2 6.4 8.4 
			 Community Care 3.6 3.4 3.7 4.1 5.4 5.8 
			 Actions Against police 6.3 5.4 5.5 4.9 5.1 4.9 
			 Consumer 5.8 2.5 0.5 0.2 2.9 2.4 
			 Clinical Negligence 27.6 29.4 25.9 28.1 27.8 15.9 
			 Education 5.2 4.5 4.6 4.4 3.4 3.0 
			 Personal Injury -1.1 -0.8 -5.6 -7.3 -4.4 -4.4 
			 Public Law 6.6 5.2 5.7 6.1 9.0 6.8 
			 Miscellaneous 10.6 11.4 5.0 7.3 8.8 54.5 
			 Total 845.9 831.0 808.9 851.1 917.0 940.4 
			 (1) Values are net expenditure which is the total amount paid on final bills together with payments on account (POAs) in ongoing cases, less recoupment of POAs together with income from contributions and recovery of costs and damages on behalf of assisted persons. As some payments will relate to cases completed in previous years some categories appear as negative spend.

Legal Aid: Criminal Defence Service

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the charges of indictment were of each defendant in Very Highest Criminal Cases in 2010; and what his Department's expenditure on legal aid was in each such case.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as the Legal Services Commission would have to check the details of every individual case file.
	The following table shows overall expenditure on Very High Cost (Criminal) Cases for the financial year 2009-10, split by case type:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Fraud 54. l 
			 Drug Trafficking 14.6 
			 Terrorism 9.5 
			 Murder/Violence 5.2 
			 Other 12.2

Legal Aid: Hyndburn

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received legal aid in  (a) Hyndburn constituency and  (b) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not record the number of people who receive legal aid, but instead records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	Neither does the LSC record the grant of legal aid by constituency, but the tables show the volumes of legal aid granted based on legal aid providers with postcodes falling within  (a) the Hyndburn constituency and  (b) England and Wales.
	The figures do not include legal aid received via telephone advice, Community Legal Advice Centres, the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme, telephone triage, or family mediation. These figures are unavailable at a constituency level.
	
		
			  Hyndburn constituency-legal aid volumes 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Civil Representation certificates issued 432 325 284 292 290 
			 Legal Help New Matter Starts in Civil and Immigration 954 1,078 1,034 1,129 1,104 
			 Crime Lower claim volumes 2,066 2,142 1,845 1,901 1,834 
			 Crime Higher case volumes 143 106 111 92 85 
			 Total 3,595 3,651 3,274 3,414 3,313 
		
	
	
		
			  England and Wales-legal aid volumes 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Civil Representation certificates issued 154,799 151,793 138,026 146,509 161,492 
			 Legal Help New Matter Starts in Civil and Immigration 713,288 740,334 720,211 800,444 807,451 
			 Crime Lower claim volumes 1,223,086 1,165,767 1,086,110 1,188,978 1,175,222 
			 Crime Higher case volumes 136,363 140,142 145,016 156,271 158,665 
			 Total 2,227,536 2,198,036 2,089,363 2,292,202 2,302,830

Open Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners at HM Prison Ford did not pass a risk assessment in respect of suitability for open prison conditions in the past six months.

Crispin Blunt: All prisoners who are transferred to open conditions such as at HMP Ford are risk assessed before leaving the closed estate. It is common for open prisons to send prisoners back to closed conditions, for a variety of reasons, predominantly when their behaviour is such that open conditions are no longer appropriate. These transfers back to the closed estate will not always involve or require an adverse risk assessment. In the seven months from 1 June to 31 December 2010 113 prisoners were returned to closed conditions from HMP Ford out of a total of 1,327 who have been at Ford since 1 June 2010.

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many claims for compensation relating to pleural plaques had been filed on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The extra-statutory scheme opened for applications on 2 August 2010, and as of Friday 14 January a total of 6,119 applications had been registered.

Prison Accommodation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress the Prison Service has made on implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Chief Inspector of Prisons into conditions at HM Prison Ford in May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: As with all inspection reports the prison put in place an action plan to implement the recommendations set out in the report. From a total of 82 recommendations 78 were accepted in full or in part. A significant number of recommendations have been completed and others are ongoing. A further inspection was carried out between 29 November and 3 December 2010 which will produce a new set of recommendations and work to implement as many of them as possible will begin once the inspection report is received.

Prison Accommodation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new prison places he expects to come on stream at  (a) Belmarsh West and  (b) HM Prison Featherstone.

Crispin Blunt: The opening capacity of new prisons Belmarsh West, in the London borough of Greenwich, and Featherstone 2, in Staffordshire, will be 900 and 1,605 places respectively. Belmarsh West is due to become operational in spring 2012 and Featherstone 2 in two stages, 1,125 places in spring 2012 and the remaining 480 in summer 2012.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the average cost to the public purse of a prisoner place for a prison population of  (a) 100,000,  (b) 90,000,  (c) 80,000,  (d) 70,000,  (e) 60,000 and  (f) 50,000.

Crispin Blunt: The average resource cost per prison place in 2008-09 (latest period for which figures are available) was approximately £45,000.
	The average cost per prison place at different populations has not been estimated as it would depend on a large number of variables. At the different populations given, the average cost per place might change slightly due to economies or diseconomies of scale, but the cost per place would depend more on the composition of the prison estate and of the prison population. Factors related to the prison estate are the category, size and number of prisons. Particular factors related to the population are age and gender.
	The average cost for 2008-09 comprises the expenditure on public and private prisons (as recorded in the NOMS Agency annual report and accounts), increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the regions by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). This involves some estimation. The figures do not include the cost of prisoners held in police or court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (eg Health and Education). The prisoner escort service costs are included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what facilities there are at HM Prison Ford to support rehabilitation of prisoners; and whether any capital expenditure on such facilities is planned in the next 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: There are no planned capital expenditure projects specifically to support the rehabilitation of offenders in the next 12 months. Ford has a resettlement department who are expanding the numbers of offenders who access unpaid and paid work activities in the community. Ford has many areas supporting rehabilitation including drug work, advice on housing, Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBPs) delivered in conjunction with Sussex probation in the community, work with indeterminate sentence prisoners, education, full internal employment of offenders, for example in the garden and plant nursery, and work-based qualifications. A full programme of physical education is also offered with qualifications available but this is currently restricted due to the damage caused in the disturbance.

Prisons: Overcrowding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many offenders at each prison are held in a cell, cubicle or room where the number of occupants exceeds its uncrowded capacity; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many offenders at each prison were held in a cell, cubicle or room where the number of occupants exceeds its uncrowded capacity on 31 March in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many offenders at each prison he expects to be held in a cell, cubicle or room where the number of occupants exceeds its uncrowded capacity in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The average number of prisoners held in overcrowded accommodation in each prison in England and Wales during 2009-10 and the number of prisoners held in overcrowded accommodation in each prison in England and Wales on 31 March in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following tables.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Occupancy levels at individual prisons will vary according to the amount of capacity available overall, the number of prisoners and the way in which the prison population is managed.
	We are currently reviewing future capacity requirements in light of the substantial difference that exists between the number of available places and the prison population and in light of the Government's Green Paper 'Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders'.
	We will consider any implications for future crowding levels in taking decisions about this.
	Current headroom means that the closure of HMPs Lancaster Castle, Ashwell and Morton Hall, announced on 13 January, is not expected to impact on overall prison crowding levels.
	
		
			  Average number of prisoners in England and Wales in overcrowded accommodation 2009 - 10 
			  Prison establishment  Average number of prisoners in overcrowded accommodation 
			 Acklington 0 
			 Albany 0 
			 Altcourse 1,010 
			 Ashfield 0 
			 Ashwell 30 
			 Askham Grange 0 
			 Aylesbury 0 
			 Bedford 288 
			 Belmarsh 368 
			 Birmingham 642 
			 Blantyre House 0 
			 Blundeston 127 
			 Brinsford 28 
			 Bristol 162 
			 Brixton 219 
			 Bronze field 0 
			 Buckley Hall 64 
			 Bullingdon 427 
			 Bullwood Hall 14 
			 Bure 0 
			 Camp Hill 162 
			 Canterbury 209 
			 Cardiff 527 
			 Castington 1 
			 Channings Wood 42 
			 Chelmsford 220 
			 Coldingley 14 
			 Cookham Wood 0 
			 Dartmoor 45 
			 Deerbolt 0 
			 Doncaster 749 
			 Dorchester 171 
			 Dovegate 119 
			 Dover 0 
			 Downview 0 
			 Drake Hall 0 
			 Durham 702 
			 East Sutton Park 0 
			 Eastwood Park 45 
			 Edmunds Hill 0 
			 Elmley 480 
			 Erlestoke 0 
			 Everthorpe 152 
			 Exeter 409 
			 Featherstone 22 
			 Feltham 0 
			 Ford 0 
			 Forest Bank 654 
			 Foston Hall 0 
			 Frankland 0 
			 Full Sutton 0 
			 Garth 37 
			 Gartree 0 
			 Glen Parva 413 
			 Gloucester 150 
			 Grendon 0 
			 Guys Marsh 87 
			 Haslar 0 
			 Haverigg 21 
			 Hewell 365 
			 High Down 211 
			 Highpoint 40 
			 Hindley 0 
			 Hollesley Bay 0 
			 Holloway 0 
			 Holme House 250 
			 Hull 539 
			 Huntercombe 0 
			 Kennet 321 
			 Kingston 0 
			 Kirkham 0 
			 Kirklevington 0 
			 Lancaster 154 
			 Lancaster Farms 87 
			 Latchmere House 0 
			 Leeds 633 
			 Leicester 300 
			 Lewes 122 
			 Leyhill 0 
			 Lincoln 466 
			 Lindholme 66 
			 Littlehey 122 
			 Liverpool 356 
			 Long Lartin 0 
			 Low Newton 49 
			 Lowdham Grange 79 
			 Maidstone 57 
			 Manchester 646 
			 Moorland 75 
			 Morton Hall 0 
			 Mount 31 
			 New Hall 50 
			 North Sea Camp 7 
			 Northallerton 156 
			 Norwich 217 
			 Nottingham 322 
			 Onley 0 
			 Parc 306 
			 Parkhurst 45 
			 Pentonville 534 
			 Peterborough 227 
			 Portland 0 
			 Preston 655 
			 Ranby 238 
			 Reading 122 
			 Risley 55 
			 Rochester 0 
			 Rye Hill 2 
			 Send 0 
			 Shepton Mallet 47 
			 Shrewsbury 193 
			 Stafford 0 
			 Standford Hill 0 
			 Stocken 70 
			 Stoke Heath 119 
			 Styal 20 
			 Sudbury 0 
			 Swaleside 23 
			 Swansea 316 
			 Swinfen Hall 32 
			 Thorn Cross 0 
			 Usk\Prescoed 238 
			 Verne 64 
			 Wakefield 0 
			 Wandsworth 1,105 
			 Warren Hill 0 
			 Wayland 87 
			 Wealstun 38 
			 Wellingborough 2 
			 Wellington 0 
			 Wetherby 0 
			 Whatton 65 
			 Whitemoor 0 
			 Winchester 413 
			 Wolds 104 
			 Woodhill 361 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 124 
			 Wymott 104 
			 Total 20,235 
			  Note: The figures in the table above are an average of the number of prisoners in overcrowded accommodation on the last day of each month during 2009-10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of prisoners in overcrowded accommodation in England and Wales at 31 March from 2001 - 10 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
			 Acklington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Albany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Altcourse 802 80S 992 981 722 807 1,008 967 991 1,031 
			 Ashfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ashwell 0 0 10 2 12 8 12 10 32 30 
			 Askham Grange 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Aylesbury 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedford 156 180 267 255 321 306 323 312 232 292 
			 Belmarsh 288 387 422 417 371 348 366 396 348 382 
			 Birmingham 552 358 424 438 510 590 656 632 604 636 
			 Blakenhurst(1) 334 368 448 452 448 476 496 - - - 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Blundeston 0 0 136 132 115 117 126 128 124 132 
			 Brinsford 76 86 52 46 48 50 52 24 26 12 
			 Bristol 84 88 92 88 376 172 152 162 162 162 
			 Brixton 282 230 236 234 234 264 266 234 226 254 
			 Brockhill(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - 
			 Bronzefield - - - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Buckley Hall 50 0 68 76 48 50 66 44 88 54 
			 Bullingdon(3) 192 288 492 201 400 406 406 400 360 424 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Bure - - - - - - - - - 0 
			 Camp Hill 40 232 282 118 136 128 130 128 148 312 
			 Canterbury 228 258 238 254 246 172 140 140 188 214 
			 Cardiff 496 534 518 534 486 540 506 462 516 484 
			 Castington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 
			 Channings Wood 14 30 48 46 40 54 56 32 32 32 
			 Chelmsford 82 142 282 234 258 282 292 324 248 262 
			 Coldingley 0 0 0 34 34 38 32 46 38 0 
			 Cookham Wood 54 42 74 68 84 72 70 0 0 0 
			 Dartmoor 0 0 54 48 42 46 32 46 48 44 
			 Deerbolt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Doncaster 644 610 1,120 1,064 520 602 710 803 762 744 
			 Dorchester 140 204 196 168 182 166 176 168 166 182 
			 Dovegate - 0 60 59 30 70 61 120 120 72 
			 Dover(4) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Downview 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Drake Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 374 380 308 386 510 462 694 694 678 684 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park(3) 46 60 26 33 26 48 56 58 44 46 
			 Edmunds Hill(5) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Elmley 232 240 525 525 537 491 523 535 501 502 
			 Erlestoke 0 12 30 22 22 22 22 0 0 0 
			 Everthorpe 0 48 48 64 84 130 154 152 160 158 
			 Exeter 310 329 380 105 406 178 356 362 410 430 
			 Featherstone 0 0 22 26 20 18 26 26 18 16 
			 Feltham 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Forest Bank 0 0 0 162 249 475 526 662 656 700 
			 Foston Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Frankland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Full Sutton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Garth 0 12 28 32 32 24 32 28 26 36 
			 Gartree 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Glen Parva 204 472 408 380 321 315 298 288 282 416 
			 Gloucester 122 212 166 134 140 122 172 154 150 188 
			 Grendon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Guys Marsh 66 74 76 72 68 84 82 80 92 88 
			 Haslar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hatfield(2) 0 0 0 - - - - - - - 
			 Haverigg 0 6 16 14 12 16 8 12 20 0 
			 Hewell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 480 350 400 
			 Hewell Grange(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - 
			 High Down 147 156 165 312 324 306 312 24S 228 192 
			 Highpoint(5) 0 48 46 48 40 42 36 32 42 46 
			 Hindley 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hollesley Bay(6) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Holloway 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Holme House 0 168 242 236 264 256 290 270 232 224 
			 Hull 0 0 426 518 490 532 630 542 506 600 
			 Huntercombe(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kennet - - - - - - - 312 334 322 
			 Kingston(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kirkham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kirklevington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancaster 0 0 168 156 172 162 130 140 156 152 
			 Lancaster Farms 30 76 58 62 58 74 52 62 78 96 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leeds 940 922 934 928 910 820 748 730 654 680 
			 Leicester 278 294 320 338 294 285 308 258 280 288 
			 Lewes 28 28 160 148 138 164 154 148 124 0 
			 Leyhill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincoln 330 358 282 318 286 306 380 540 482 438 
			 Lindholme 0 0 0 0 66 42 104 108 100 64 
			 Littlehey 30 62 72 72 82 74 88 104 126 122 
			 Liverpool 334 484 530 510 404 370 418 414 336 350 
			 Long Lartin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Low Newton 68 70 92 72 52 38 42 62 52 40 
			 Lowdham Grange 0 0 18 40 0 26 88 66 85 28 
			 Maidstone 2 0 0 0 118 0 56 58 50 64 
			 Manchester 244 736 722 712 670 650 660 580 598 660 
			 Moorland 54 60 56 57 56 38 62 56 74 74 
			 Morton Hall 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mount 66 80 102 106 0 30 24 24 26 30 
			 New Hall 60 86 48 48 22 34 36 48 34 46 
			 North Sea Camp 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Northallerton 94 138 168 158 88 176 192 174 170 166 
			 Norwich 294 368 414 381 426 388 197 159 171 272 
			 Nottingham 228 228 308 288 296 248 284 348 344 254 
			 Onley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Parc 0 0 0 0 224 179 250 307 304 316 
			 Parkhurst 0 0 0 36 36 46 58 80 80 74 
			 Pentonville 364 386 424 444 462 508 644 796 502 524 
			 Peterborough - - - - - 0 0 132 216 258 
			 Portland 92 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Preston 480 462 610 604 556 556 672 672 576 710 
			 Ranby 76 96 177 184 189 242 238 248 238 238 
			 Reading 126 152 188 218 182 192 164 166 120 144 
			 Risley 0 66 34 62 62 90 80 84 86 40 
			 Rochester 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rye Hill 0 0 650 104 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Send 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Shepton Mallet 30 20 39 70 50 34 46 48 48 48 
			 Shrewsbury 276 280 322 328 214 318 340 268 226 196 
			 Stafford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Standford Hill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stocken 8 52 52 52 52 52 54 42 74 62 
			 Stoke Heath 116 0 188 186 152 202 198 200 102 108 
			 Styal 32 24 46 38 70 86 20 18 20 18 
			 Sudbury 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Swaleside 0 12 22 28 34 36 30 26 12 7 
			 Swansea 94 278 292 240 223 244 283 374 342 322 
			 Swinfen Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 32 48 
			 Thorn Cross 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Usk/Prescoed 176 172 220 123 224 228 218 214 224 243 
			 Verne 34 56 64 54 66 64 66 64 62 70 
			 Wakefield 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 468 632 324 924 936 1,030 1,258 1,090 1,128 1,108 
			 Warren Hill(6) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wayland 28 62 82 84 72 76 84 64 84 64 
			 Wealstun 0 0 0 0 0 2 28 34 36 34 
			 Weare 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - 
			 Wellingborough 0 0 0 20 20 0 0 16 8 6 
			 Werrington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wetherby 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Whatton 0 0 0 16 78 0 66 56 66 76 
			 Whitemoor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Winchester 280 262 402 404 418 402 340 344 405 402 
			 Wolds 65 86 44 75 32 0 94 92 104 96 
			 Woodhill 136 138 236 320 226 272 314 310 314 354 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 0 0 124 124 124 124 124 124 124 124 
			 Wymott 0 0 32 34 34 84 90 90 104 104 
			 '-' = not operational (1) Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange merged to become Hewell in 2007-08. (2) Hatfield merged with Moorland in 2003-04. (3) The following prisons have been combined in this table: Bullingdon and Oxford: Eastwood Park and Pucklechurch; Huntercombe and Finnamore Woods; and Kingston and Portsmouth. (4) Dover became an immigration removal centre in 2003-04. (5) Edmunds Hill and Highpoint split in 2003-04. (6) Hollesley Bay and Warren Hill split in 2003-04.

Prisons: Personnel

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison staff he expects to accept voluntary redundancy or early retirement in the next 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: A targeted Voluntary Early Departure Scheme across NOMS closed to applications on 10 January 2011. We are currently assessing the applications received. Additionally we expect that we will need to offer voluntary exit terms to some prison staff as part of the recently announced closures of HMP Ashwell and HMP Lancaster Castle. The exact numbers will not be known for some weeks. Further organisational reviews are likely to identify additional requirements but we will not know the exact number until the reviews are concluded.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the level of overcrowding in the prison estate.

Crispin Blunt: The average rate of overcrowding in the prison estate in England and Wales in 2009-10 was 24%.
	 Source:
	National Offender Management Service Annual Report and Accounts 2009-10, Ministry of Justice;
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/noms-annual-report-accounts-2010.pdf

Prosecutions: Tattooing

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been of tattooists for the tattooing of children under the age of 16 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Data for offences under the Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court proceedings database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be separately analysed.

Tribunals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what powers he has to monitor tribunal proceedings; what powers he has to remove members of tribunals; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Tribunal proceedings are overseen by independent members of the judiciary. The Secretary of State for Justice does not have powers to monitor tribunal proceedings. There are provisions in all jurisdictions which allow for decisions of a tribunal to be challenged by way of internal review, onward appeal or a judicial review.
	The Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 provides the Lord Chancellor with the power to remove members of the Upper Tribunal or First-tier Tribunal on the grounds of inability or misbehaviour. The Lord Chancellor's power to remove other tribunal judges (such as those in the employment tribunal) is set out in other legislation. The exercise of the Lord Chancellor's statutory power of removal usually requires the concurrence of Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the Lord President or the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland as appropriate.

Tribunals: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many tribunals were held in Colchester under each chairman in the last 12 months; and how many appeals under each chairman were  (a) upheld and  (b) dismissed.

Jonathan Djanogly: The first-tier tribunal-Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) does not hold the information requested. The information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost by manually checking each individual case file.
	However, the following table provides information on the number of SSCS cases heard in the Colchester venue during the period October 2009 to September 2010. This is the most recent period for which statistics have been published.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Cases cleared at hearing 1,149 
			 Decision upheld 801 
			 Decision in favour 337 
			 Withdrawn at hearing 11

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Absence Without Leave

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel including those in training aged under 18 years  (a) were recorded as absent without leave and  (b) deserted in each year from 2001 to 2010.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Food

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel are on the Daily Ration Roll at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport.

Andrew Robathan: There are 86 permanent service personnel on the daily ration roll at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport. In addition, as at week ending 14 January 2011, there were also 152 personnel undertaking training on the daily ration roll. This number is subject to change on a weekly basis due to course intakes.

Armed Forces: Food

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on the missed meals and meals out allowance at the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, Portsmouth in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The latest period for which figures are available on the expenditure of missed meals and meals out allowance at Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, Portsmouth is April to December 2010. The amount spent was £2,543.92.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel who have served in Special Forces receive an armed forces pension.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel who served as part of the Special Air Service are in receipt of both an armed forces pension and payment from a compensation scheme;
	(2)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment was to service personnel who served as part of the Special Forces in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment was to service personnel who served as part of the Special Forces in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 January 2011
	 This information is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and, in any event, it is the long standing policy of the Ministry of Defence not to comment on matters concerning Special Forces.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment to service personnel who served in World War Two was in 2009-10.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 January 2011
	The average, highest and lowest annual pension payments under the Armed Forces Pension scheme (AFPS) to service personnel known to have served during World War Two are not held in the format requested.
	Personnel who have an injury or illness caused by, or aggravated by their service can also qualify for a war disablement pension (WDP) under the War Pension scheme (WPS). The average, highest and lowest annual pension payments under the WPS awarded specifically to World War Two veterans are not held in the format requested. Weekly amounts in payment as at 30 September 2010 are, however, available for all personnel in receipt of a WDP, irrespective of when they served, and these are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Weekly WPS pension (£) 
			 Average 76.42 
			 Highest 326.48 
			 Lowest 32.21 
			  Note: Amounts quoted include any associated WPS allowances received.

Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces  (a) are being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and  (b) have been treated in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: The following table details the number of patients attending a Ministry of Defence Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) initially assessed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the period 1 January 2007 to 30 September 2010.
	
		
			   PTSD cases 
			 2007 180 
			 2008 156 
			 2009 172 
			 1 January to 30 September 2010 191 
		
	
	These figures report only new attendances and since July 2009 new episodes of care, but not all those who were receiving treatment. Equivalent verified data prior to 2007 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This answer incorporates data from the Annual UK Armed Forces Mental Health Report which includes statistics on PTSD.

Armed Forces: Young People

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel including those in training were aged under 18 years in each  (a) corps and  (b) regiment in 2009-10.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  Under 18 UK regular naval service personnel by branch at 1 April 2010 
			  Branch  Under 18s  Percentage under 18 
			 Grand total 325 1.0 
			 RN Engineer Fleet Air Arm 35 1.0 
			 RN Engineer General Service 55 1.0 
			 RN Engineer Sub Mariner 20 0.8 
			 RN Logistics General Service 40 1.4 
			 RN Logistics Sub Mariner 5 1.1 
			 RN Medical General Service (1)- (1)- 
			 RN Medical Sub Mariner (2)- (2)- 
			 RN Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Services (2)- (2)- 
			 RN Royal Marines Band Service (1)- (1)- 
			 RN Royal Marines General Service 70 1.0 
			 RN Warfare Fleet Air Arm 10 0.7 
			 RN Warfare General Service 80 1.3 
			 RN Warfare Sub Mariner 5 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Under 18 UK regular army by arm/service at 1 April 2010 
			  Arm/service  Under 18s  Percentage under 18 
			 Grand total 2,935 2.7 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 220 3.4 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 280 3.4 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 305 2.7 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 255 3.0 
			 Infantry 990 3.6 
			 Army Air Corps 40 1.7 
			 Royal Army Chaplain's Department (2)- (2)- 
			 The Royal Logistics Corps 290 1.7 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 35 1.0 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 475 4.0 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Military Provost Service) (2)- (2)- 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Royal Military Police) (1)- (1)- 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Support) 40 1.1 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Army Legal Service) (2)- (2)- 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Educational and Training Service) (2)- (2)- 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Small Arms School Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Intelligence Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Royal Army Physical Training Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (2)- (2)- 
			 Corps of Army Music (1)- (1)- 
			 General Service Corps (2)- (2)- 
		
	
	
		
			  RAF regular personnel (trained and untrained) under age 18 by trade group at 1 April 2010 
			  Trade  Under 18s  Percentage under 18 
			 Grand total 255 0.8 
			 Non-commissioned aircrew (1)- (1)- 
			 TGI: Aircraft Engineering 90 0.8 
			 TG4: Information Communications Technology 25 0.7 
			 TG5: General Engineering 25 1.3 
			 TG6: Drivers (2)- (2)- 
			 TG8: Security 35 0.9 
			 TG9: Air Traffic Control 15 1.1 
			 TG10: Physical Training Instruction (2)- (2)- 
			 TG11: Intelligence Analysts (2)- (2)- 
			 TG12: Aerospace Systems 5 0.8 
			 TG13: Safety and Surface 5 1.0 
			 TG14: Photography (1)- (1)- 
			 TG15: Medical (1)- (1)- 
			 TGI6: Dental (1)- (1)- 
			 TG17: Personnel 15 1.0 
			 TG18: Supply and Movements 15 0.5 
			 TG19: Catering 20 1.7 
			 TG21: Music (2)- (2)- 
			 (1 )Denotes less than five or a percentage based on a value less than five. (2 )Denotes zero or rounded to zero.  Note: Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not be the sum of their parts. Percentages are calculated from unrounded data

Defence: Sales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what serviceable  (a) aircraft,  (b) vessels and  (c) weapons systems his Department has sold since 1997; and how much it received from each such sale.

Gerald Howarth: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Departmental Art Works

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 278W, on departmental art works, what budgetary provision he has made for covering the insurance costs of damage or loss of his Department's collection of fine arts and antiquities; and what proportion of the settlement for his Department for each year of the comprehensive spending review period this comprises.

Andrew Robathan: No budget has been allocated to insuring the Ministry of Defence (MOD) art collection against damage or loss. In common with other Defence fixed assets, the MOD art collection is not insured. The risk of damage or loss is accepted by the Government.

Departmental Art Works

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2010,  Official Report, column 8W, on departmental art works, what consideration was given to the value of his Department's art collection in his Department's submission to the Treasury as part of the comprehensive spending review process.

Andrew Robathan: None. In line with the policy the Department for Culture, Media and Sport applies to the Government art collection, no estimate is maintained for the value of artwork and antiques in the Ministry of Defence art collection. There would be a high cost associated with valuing the collection that outweighs the value of holding the information.

HMS Ocean

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's contractual obligations are in respect of the refit of HMS Ocean; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Prime Minister confirmed on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 810-11, that the refit for HMS Ocean will go ahead. In preparation for this work, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has placed contracts for some small preliminary studies to be conducted.
	As part of the upkeep programme for all complex Royal Navy vessels, HMS Ocean's refit is subject to ongoing discussions involving members of the Surface Ship Support Alliance (the Ministry of Defence, Babcock Marine and BAE Systems Surface Ships). As no final decisions have yet been taken within the alliance, the MOD has not made any other contractual obligations for HMS Ocean's upkeep period, though we are committed to working closely with our industry partners to distribute upkeep work on a 'best for enterprise basis'.

Met Office

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the adequacy of the statistical and scientific evidence used by the Met Office in its predictions.

Andrew Robathan: The adequacy of the statistical and scientific evidence used by the Met Office is regularly and independently assessed through the Met Office Scientific Advisory Committee and the Met Office Hadley Centre Science Review Group.
	Ad hoc reviews are carried out from time to time. For example, the 2009 Sir John Lawton Review of the Met Office Hadley Centre concluded that it is one of the leading group of modelling institutes world wide and Sir John Beddington's 2010 Review of Climate Science Advice to Government confirmed it represents a critical national capability, with a central role of meeting the Government's requirements for climate evidence and advice.
	In addition, Met Office science regularly appears as peer-reviewed articles in journals. In 2009, a survey published by the  Times Higher Education ranked the Met Office Hadley Centre as the top institution in geosciences in the world, ahead of both Harvard and Princeton universities, based on the number of citations each research centre received for its peer-reviewed papers between 1999 and 2009.

Met Office: Privatisation

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on privatisation of the Met Office; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its trading funds to ensure that they have the most appropriate structure and status that deliver value for money to the taxpayer and government, without eroding their ability to support their government primary policy objectives.
	I have commissioned a review of the Met Office which is looking at a number of options, including the privatisation of the Met Office.
	This will report on its findings in the spring.

Met Office: Standards

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanism he has put in place to evaluate the performance of the Met Office.

Andrew Robathan: The Public Weather Service Customer Group, which is funded by Government bodies and led by an independent chairperson, regularly monitors the Met Office's performance in terms of its public weather service outputs and forecasts.
	The Met Office Board also monitors, scrutinises and challenges the Met Office's performance. The Board is led by an independent non-executive chairperson, supported by non-executive directors.
	Additionally, I chair an annual Met Office Owner's Council which further reviews the Met Office's performance.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an assessment of the range of ballistic missiles possessed by  (a) North Korea and  (b) Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: We continually monitor the ballistic missile capabilities of non-NATO nations and are active participants in the Missile Technology Control Regime, which seeks to restrict the proliferation of missiles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilograms payload at least 300 kilometres.
	Both Iran and North Korea already possess a significant ballistic missile capability that can reach other countries within their respective regions and both countries are also pursuing technologies relevant to the development of significantly longer range ballistic missiles, potentially capable of reaching all of Europe, including the UK.

USA: AWE Management

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2010,  Official Report, column 458W, on nuclear weapons, if he will publish the letter to the hon. Member for Newport West on visits to US establishments by AWE personnel in the last three years.

Peter Luff: Yes. A copy of my letter will be published in the  Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

War Widows: Pensions

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many women are in receipt of a war widows pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as a result of the death of a spouse serving in Afghanistan;
	(2)  how many men are in receipt of a war widowers pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme;
	(3)  how many men are in receipt of a war widowers pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as a result of the death of a spouse serving in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 January 2011
	The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) is the occupational pension scheme for the three services including the reserves. The War Pension Scheme (WPS) is a benefit programme that provides no fault compensation to former service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service before 6 April 2005.
	Under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) financial support is available in the form of a Survivor's Guaranteed Income Payment (SGIP) for the surviving dependants of service personnel who have died as a result of service on or after 6 April 2005. Surviving dependants include spouses (husband/wife/entitled partner) and children.
	The number of women and men in receipt of a pension under AFPS, WPS or a SGIP under AFCS, due to the death of a spouse or partner in Afghanistan, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Widows  Widowers 
			 AFPS(1) 115 (2)- 
			 WPS(3) 0 0 
			 AFCS(3) 100 0 
			 (1) Figures for AFPS are as at 14 January 2011. (2) Fewer than 5. (3) Figures for WPS and AFCS are as at 30 September 2010.  Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what progress he has made on his Department's target of creating 50,000 additional apprenticeship places by April 2011; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its target of creating 50,000 additional apprenticeship places by April 2011 will be achieved; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: We have made a good start on delivering the additional 50,000 adult places this year and are working with the National Apprenticeship Service to encourage colleges and providers to prioritise the growth in apprenticeships. Final figures for the 2010-11 financial year will be published in a National Statistics First Release in January 2012.
	We have set ambitious goals for expansion of the programme and remain confident that they will be achieved, not least through the National Apprenticeships Service's work to support employers, colleges and training organisations across the country to make these additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand.
	While the Government make funding available for apprenticeship training, the opportunities themselves must be offered by employers. Already 85,000 employers are involved in the programme but we want to make apprenticeships an even more attractive offer to them. We are therefore reducing bureaucracy making the system simpler for employers and are considering how we might better support them through improved funding arrangements. The National Apprenticeships Service (NAS) is also continuing to promote the benefits of Apprenticeships to employers. For example, in November 2010, joining forces with business leaders in a campaign to urge more employers to take on apprenticeships. National Apprenticeship Week in February will also see apprentices, employers, and providers showcase the benefits of apprenticeship programmes and the value apprentices bring to organisations.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the abolition of the Train to Gain programme does not reduce the number of apprenticeship places available; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Apprenticeships are at the centre of the skills system. Surveys of learner and employers regularly show that apprenticeships are valued by employers and individual apprentices appreciate the fact that the apprenticeships given them both an entry route into work and a ladder to progress in their chosen career.
	In May we announced that £150 million would be redirected to apprenticeships during the 2010-11 financial year to provide an additional 50,000 starts. As secured as part of the spending review (SR) settlement, we will be able to carry forward these additional 50,000 places into future years and an extra 25,000 by 2014-25(1). By the end of the current SR this Government will be providing sufficient funding to support 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places relative to the previous Government.
	Since May 2010 we have repeatedly stated the focus of work based learning was shifting to apprenticeships and have set ambitious goals for expansion of the apprenticeships programme. We remain confident that these goals will be achieved, not least through the National Apprenticeships Service's work to promote apprenticeships and to support employers, colleges and training organisations across the country to make these additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand. We have chosen to abolish Train to Gain and invest in longer and more comprehensive apprenticeships programmes because of the higher economic return apprenticeships yield.
	( 1) Source
	Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth, published by BIS, 16 November 2010.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the adequacy of the level of training available for apprentices in the housing industry; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Construction Skills and Summit Skills are the Sector Skills Councils with responsibility for setting occupational standards and ensuring that suitable apprenticeship frameworks are in place for the housing industry.
	The Department will ask for an assessment of the adequacy and sufficiency of apprenticeship training in the industry and I will write to the hon. Member when I have received and considered the response.
	The following table shows apprenticeship starts for the construction framework from 2002/03, to 2009/10 (provisional data). The number of people starting an apprenticeship in the construction industry has declined in recent years, which reflects overall employment levels in the sector.
	
		
			  Apprenticeship starts for construction framework, 2002/03 to 2009/10 
			  Construction  Apprenticeship starts 
			 2002/03 11,900 
			 2003/04 15,000 
			 2004/05 18,500 
			 2005/06 15,500 
			 2006/07 20,700 
			 2007/08 20,400 
			 2008/09 16,800 
			 2009/10 (provisional) 13,400 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Provisional numbers for 2009/10 are not comparable with previous years. There can be significant variation between provisional and final estimates and typically these numbers can be expected to be revised upwards. While subsequent revisions to 2009/10 data may be different from previous years, in 2008/09 the final number of starts was up to approximately 2.5% higher.  Source: Individualised Learner Record

Business: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has provided to small businesses in  (a) the North East,  (b) the Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: The Department of Business Innovation and Skills funds business support which is currently delivered via the Regional Development Agencies through the Business Link regional advisory service. One NorthEast (ONE) the regional development agency (RDA) covering North East England, does not generally record information on a constituency basis. It is therefore not possible to source the relevant information by constituency on the grounds of disproportionate costs.
	However, Annex A gives figures for the number of start-up and established business service users (excluding pre-starts) assisted by ONE in each of the last three financial years. It is likely that some of these businesses will have accessed both commercially available and publicly funded support in the North East, the Tees Valley, and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.
	
		
			  Annex A 
			  Business users  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11( 1) 
			 Start-ups trading < 12 months 3,232 3,513 3,734 
			 Established 19,573 17, 121 16,867 
			 (1) Up to December 2010.

ICT: Departmental Responsibilities

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of which digital economy and telecommunications matters the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills as well as to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 January 2011
	 The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries no longer reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Job Creation: Renewable Energy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the low-carbon and environmental foods and services sector which will be created as a result of expenditure on renewable energy technology.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 18 January 2011
	In 2008/09 renewable energy in the UK was estimated to employ 266,000, generating a turnover of £33,000 million, equating to approximately 30% of employment and turnover in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector. The definition of renewable energy used includes; biomass, geothermal, hydro, photovoltaic, renewable consulting, wave, tidal and wind. This sub-sector is forecasted to grow annually at around 5% to 2015/16.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to paragraph 2.33 of the Local Growth White Paper, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the transfer of the regional development agency staff to  (a) local enterprise partnerships and  (b) other successor bodies.

Mark Prisk: It is not expected that staff will transfer from regional development agencies (RDA) to local enterprise partnerships as the LEPs are not necessarily expected to continue former RDA functions. The Department has issued guidance to the RDAs to be followed where functions will be transferring to successor bodies where either the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations or Cabinet Office Statement of Practice processes may apply.

Medicine: Education

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of graduates who completed a second degree in medicine received NHS sponsorship in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: holding answer 13 January 2011
	Providing information on NHS sponsorship is the responsibility of the Department of Health and they have provided the following response:
	Information on the proportion of medical graduates who completed a second degree in medicine and received NHS support is not available centrally.
	The table provides information on the number of English domiciled students and 'European Union fees only' students who received NHS support while studying on a graduate entry medical degree, in England, in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Academic year  Number of students 
			 2005/06 1,418 
			 2006/07 1,809 
			 2007/08 1,849 
			 2008/09 1,843 
			 2009/10 1,905 
			  Source: NHS Business Services Authority Student Bursaries Scheme database

Regional Development Agencies: Redundancies

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the sum identified for winding down regional development agencies over the comprehensive spending review period he estimates will be used to  (a) pay staff redundancies and  (b) cancel operating contracts.

Mark Prisk: The spending review settlement for RDAs provides £464 million over four years, covering various salaries, redundancies, transition/closure costs and pension liabilities. Of this, the preliminary estimate is that up to 22% may be required to cover redundancy costs. It is not, however, possible to estimate this figure with certainty because the number of staff who will be working on continuing functions (such as European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) etc.) has not been finalised and staff are also leaving on other bases such as through resignation. The cost of cancelling or varying operating contracts is not yet known and will be subject both to negotiation with the parties concerned and securing the best value outcome for the taxpayer.

Royal Mail: Privatisation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the likely effect on the Livingston and Bathgate sorting offices of implementation of his proposal to privatise Royal Mail.

Edward Davey: The current position, under Government ownership, is that decisions relating to Royal Mail's operational requirements, for example how delivery offices and mail centres operate, are matters for the Royal Mail Board. This will remain the case once private sector investment and disciplines have been introduced into the company.

Royal Mail: Privatisation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the likely effect on the Post Office network in Livingston constituency of implementation of his proposal to privatise Royal Mail.

Edward Davey: Operationally Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd are reliant on one another and will continue to be partners because of the overwhelming commercial imperative for the two businesses to work together.
	The chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, has recently said:
	"There is already a very strong and enduring commercial relationship between the Post Office and Royal Mail. It is clearly in the interests of us all that this strong relationship is maintained in the future. We are committed to securing as long an agreement with the Post Office as we are legally able to."

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of offering tuition fee loans to part-time students in each of the next four years; and what proportion of the face value of those loans this cost represents in each such year.

David Willetts: The costs of extending tuition fee loan access to part time students will depend in large measure on the decisions higher education institutions take in setting their charges for tuition. These costs will be offset by the deficit reducing savings made through the phased withdrawal of direct teaching grant for part-time students.
	Taking the extension fee loans to part times students in conjunction with all the other changes being made to the student finance system, we estimate the resource account budget (RAB) charge will be around 30% overall. However this will be dependent on the level of fees that institutions decide to charge.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituency Size

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects his proposals for fewer and more equal-sized constituencies to be implemented.

Mark Harper: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, currently being considered by another place, requires the Boundary Commissions to submit their reports before 1 October 2013. The Secretary of State or Lord President of the Council is required to lay before Parliament an Order in Council to bring the Commissions' recommendations into effect.

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Urban Areas

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new British cities will be created by the Diamond Jubilee City Status Competition.

Mark Harper: The Government's expectation is that only one new city will be created as a result of the Diamond Jubilee competition.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 77WS, and to the information that has been made available on the Diamond Jubilee Civic Honours Q&A page of the website of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/honours/7610.aspx

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Urban Areas

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what process will be followed to determine which local authority has been successful in its bid for city status following the deadline for applications of 27 May 2011.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 77WS, and to the information that has been made available on the Diamond Jubilee Civic Honours Q&A page of the website of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/honours/7610.aspx

Rupert Murdoch

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether  (a) he and  (b) officials in his office have had meetings in an official capacity with (i) Rupert Murdoch, (ii) James Murdoch, (iii) Rebekah Wade, (iv) individuals representing News International, (v) individuals representing News Corporation and (vi) individuals representing BSkyB since 4 November 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: A list of my official meetings with external organisations are published quarterly by the Cabinet Office. My officials have meetings in an official capacity with numerous organisations and individuals on a range of subjects: a list of these meetings is not held centrally.

TREASURY

National Insurance Contributions

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason employers are required to continue paying national insurance contributions for employees who have reached state pension age; and for what reason no contribution is required from the employee.

Justine Greening: A single rate of employer national insurance contributions for all employees is simple and avoids introducing distortions in the labour market. The absence of employee national insurance contributions for those over state pension age reflects that those above state pension age are not entitled to working age contributory benefits or to accrue basic state pension entitlement.

Banks: Bonuses

George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 153-66, on bank bonuses, 
	(1)  what consultation he plans to undertake on banks making a greater contribution to local economies and local communities;
	(2)  what categories of potential recipients of the proposed greater contribution to local economies and communities from the banking industry he has identified;
	(3)  on what criteria he intends to distribute the proposed greater contribution to local economies and communities from the banking industry between regions;
	(4)  which bodies he expects to be charged with distributing funds raised from the proposed greater contribution to local economies and communities from the banking industry;
	(5)  what recent discussions he has held with  (a) regional bodies,  (b) ministerial colleagues and  (c) Government agencies on banks making a greater contribution to local economy and communities;
	(6)  which bodies he expects to administer additional contributions from banks to local economies and communities;
	(7)  what meetings on what dates he has had with representatives of the banking industry on increasing the industry's contribution to local economies and communities; and which individuals from which banking organisations attended each such meeting.

Mark Hoban: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated to the House on 11 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 153-66, we are working with the banks to ensure that they make a greater contribution to local economies and communities. We will provide more detail to the House when the negotiations have been finalised.
	As part of the Government's response to the "Financing a Private Sector Recovery" Green Paper, the banks, through the British Bankers' Association Business Finance Taskforce, have committed to a number of actions that will aid local economies and communities. This includes providing enhanced data on lending at a regional level and the establishment of a £1.5 billion equity fund which will help provide finance to the SMEs that form a vital part of many local communities and economies. Further information on the taskforce can be found on the BBA's website:
	http://www.bba.org.uk/taskforce

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) would not oppose the striking off of a company from the Register of Companies; and whether each notice of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies is reviewed by HMRC.

Justine Greening: Every notice of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies received from Companies House is reviewed and risk assessed.
	HMRC objects to a notice of intention to strike off where there is a material risk of loss of tax, for example where there are outstanding debts or an ongoing inquiry into the company.

Financial Inclusion Fund

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to make an announcement on the future of the Financial Inclusion Fund.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Inclusion Fund will close at the end of March this year. The Government will work closely with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that tackling financial exclusion remains a high priority.

Financial Institutions

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total cost to the public purse was of support and recapitalisation of financial institutions between September 2008 and April 2010;
	(2)  how much his Department expects to recoup of its outlay on supporting and recapitalising financial institutions between September 2008 and April 2010; and what the timescale is for the repayment.

Mark Hoban: Full breakdowns of financial support provided to UK banks are published by HM Treasury on a financial year basis. Details of the support provided for the years 2008-09 and 2009-2010 are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539) and 2008-09 (HC 611) and 2009-10 (HC261), respectively. For ease of reference I set out as follows total recapitalisations by year and institution.
	
		
			  £ billion 
			  Institution  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 RBS 15.0 30.8 0.0 45.8 
			 Lloyds 4.5 7.6 0.0 12.1 
			 HBOS 8.5 0.0 0.0 8.5 
			 Northern Rock plc 0.0 1.4 0.0 1.4 
			  27.9 39.8 0.0 67.7 
		
	
	The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) published an updated estimate of the net direct fiscal cost of all financial sector interventions (including schemes other than bank recapitalizations, such as the Credit Guarantee Scheme) on 29 November 2010. The OBR's assessment of the net effect of these interventions forecasts a £2 billion profit for the taxpayer.
	However, the eventual profit or loss to the taxpayer will only be realised on the sale of our shares and collection of all fees.
	UK Financial Investments (UKFI) was set up by the Government to manage their investments in financial institutions (shareholdings in RBS and LBG; ownership of Northern Rock plc, Northern Rock Asset Management and Bradford and Bingley) at an arm's length and on a commercial basis. UKFI's remit is to devise and execute a strategy for disposing of the Government's investments in an orderly and active manner, within the context of an overarching objective of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer, paying due regard to financial stability and competition. UKFI will look at the full range of alternatives for divestment, and will make decisions based on market conditions, on an assessment of investor demand, and on value for money considerations at the time when considering a transaction.

Inflation

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the likely number of consecutive periods of higher than expected inflation necessitating a quarterly letter from the Governor of the Bank of England in 2011.

Justine Greening: The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England is responsible for inflation forecasts. The remit for the MPC requires the Governor to write to the Chancellor if CPI inflation deviates from the 2% target by more than one percentage point. The remit requires a further letter after three months if inflation remains more than one percentage point above or below the target.

Members: Correspondence

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for York Central of 18 October 2010, reference 5/05681/10, on funding for environmental initiatives.

Justine Greening: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Multinational Companies: Accountancy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the need for an international accounting standard for companies operating in the extractives industry to cover all listed multinational companies; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	International accounting standards are the responsibility of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which is independent of all Governments. The IASB is currently considering a standard for extractive industries.

Pensions: Teachers

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the  (a) Scottish Executive,  (b) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and  (c) the Educational Institute of Scotland on the suspension of the 2009 valuation of the Scottish teachers' superannuation scheme;
	(2)  what plans he has for the (a) date and  (b) criteria for his Department's next valuation of the Scottish teachers' superannuation scheme.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 18 January 2011
	 I have had no discussions with the Scottish Executive, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Educational Institute of Scotland regarding the suspension of the 2009 valuation of the Scottish teachers' superannuation scheme. At the 2010 spending review, the Government announced their intention to carry out a public consultation on the discount rate used in unfunded public service pension scheme valuations to set contribution rates. Public service pension scheme valuations were therefore suspended until the review of the discount rate is complete.
	Public service pension scheme valuations will recommence following the conclusion of the review of the discount rate used to set unfunded public service pension contributions. The timing and details of the valuation will be a matter for the responsible Department or devolved Administration, in this case the Scottish Executive.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time employees of HM Revenue and Customs at each grade were employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Justine Greening: The number of part-time and full-time employees of HM Revenue and Customs employed in Northern Ireland in the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  All headcount 
			   31 March 2008  31 March 2009  31 March 2010 
			   FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT 
			 Senior Civil Servant 2 - 1 - 1 - 
			 Grade 6 10 - 12 - 10 4 
			 Grade 7 37 5 37 10 34 12 
			 Fast Stream 10 1 8 - 7 - 
			 Senior Officer 80 4 76 12 76 12 
			 Higher Officer 230 34 217 40 198 48 
			 Officer 503 166 474 177 398 174 
			 Assistant Officer 722 285 723 274 629 299 
			 Admin. Assistant 204 77 131 70 121 66 
			 Total 1,798 572 1,679 583 1,474 615

Taxation: Digital Arts Industries

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on taxation of digital arts industries; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Government's aim is to create the most competitive corporate tax regime in the G20.
	The June 2010 Budget announced a package of reforms to business taxation, reducing rates of corporation tax for all companies. Companies in all sectors will benefit from these changes, including those in the digital arts industries.

VAT: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he made of the likely effects on the economy in Northern Ireland of the recent increase in the rate of value added tax before that increase came into effect.

Justine Greening: The answer to this question falls within the responsibilities of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and I have asked the OBR to reply.
	 Letter from Robert Chote, dated 14 January 2011:
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent question.
	The OBR's November forecast incorporated the estimated impact of policy measures announced at or before the June Budget, including the increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent that took effect from 4 January 2011.
	We have not assessed the impact of the change in VAT on the Northern Ireland economy. However, the OBR applied a range of fiscal multipliers to help inform its judgement on the impact of VAT on aggregate demand in the UK economy. These multipliers are set out in Table C8 of the interim OBR's June Budget document. A figure of 0.6, for example, means that a measure which has a direct effect of raising revenue by 1 per cent of GDP is estimated to reduce aggregate demand in the economy by 0.6 per cent in the short run.
	The interim OBR's June 2010 Budget forecast and the OBR's November forecast assumed that the increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent would reduce the level of real GDP in 2011/12 by around 0.3 per cent.

CABINET OFFICE

Public Bodies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on the implementation of his proposals for the reform of public bodies.

Francis Maude: Since setting out the proposals I have moved quickly to introduce the Public Bodies Bill which provides a clear and effective way to implement these much needed and extensive reforms. Work is under way in Departments on changes which do not require legislation.

Public Bodies

Guy Opperman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what objectives he set for his Department's review of public bodies.

Francis Maude: The primary objective of these reforms is to increase accountability for the work of Government. The reforms will also reduce the number of public bodies, secure savings and cut out duplication of effort.

Housing: South Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the median household income was of a family in  (a) the social rented sector,  (b) the private rented sector and  (c) owner-occupied accommodation in (i) South Lanarkshire and (ii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency (A) before and (B) after housing costs in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	We use Households Below Average Income data to provide estimates of median incomes. However, the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates for low-level geographies such as those requested.
	The following table shows the median equivalised disposable household income by tenure for Scotland, before and after housing costs.
	
		
			  Median equivalised disposable household income, for families, by tenure for Scotland, three year average 2006-07 to 2008-09, before and after housing costs 
			   Median equivalised disposable household income for families 
			  Tenure type  BHC  AHC 
			 Owners 467 424 
			 Social renters 291 235 
			 Private renters 346 253 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These use disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for HBAI figures is single financial years. For countries and regions within the UK, three survey years have been combined as single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Incomes are presented in 2008-09 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling. 5. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one of more families and is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal a day together or share the living accommodation (i.e. a living room). In line with the wording of the question, analysis has been carried out at the family level.  Source: Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 2006-07 to 2008-09

Manufacturing Industries: West Midlands

Chris White: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in the manufacturing sector in  (a) Warwickshire and  (b) the West Midlands on the latest date for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were employed in the manufacturing sector in (a) Warwickshire and (b) the West Midlands on the latest date for which figures are available. (33967)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The number of people employed in the manufacturing sector for the 12 month period ending in June 2010 in Warwickshire was 32,000 and in the West Midlands was 324,000.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Social Enterprises

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of non-profit organisations operating in each region of the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the number of non-profit organisations operating in each region of the UK.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprises are available from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at www.statistics.gov.uk. The table below contains the latest statistics available, which show the number of non-profit making enterprises by Government Office Region.
	
		
			  Count of non-profit making enterprises by Government Office Region 
			  GOR  Count of enterprises 
			 North-east 2,825 
			 North-west 8,380 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 6,270 
			 East midlands 5,870 
			 West midlands 6,070 
			 East 6,820 
			 London 11,900 
			 South-east 10,765 
			 South-west 7,765 
			 Wales 3,860 
			 Scotland 7,760 
			 Northern Ireland 3,515 
			 Total 81,800

HEALTH

Abortion: Young People

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the provision of pregnancy terminations for teenage women in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: There were 37,957 abortions carried out on girls aged under 20 resident in England in 2009, the latest year for which data are available. Abortions performed by national health service hospitals are reimbursed through the national tariff. The 2010-11 tariff prices for abortions are shown in the following table. The guidance associated with the application of the tariff has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_112284
	
		
			  Table 1: 2010-11 tariffs for abortions 
			  Healthcare resource group  Combined day case and elective tariff (£)  Non-elective tariff (£) 
			 Vacuum aspiration with rigid cannula for 9 weeks gestation or more 564 959 
			 Vacuum aspiration with rigid cannula for less than 9 weeks gestation 564 742 
			 Vacuum aspiration with flexible cannula 582j 924 
			 Dilation and evacuation 20 weeks or more 662 1,543 
			 Dilation and evacuation less than 20 weeks 662 1,057 
			 Medical termination of pregnancy 473 679

Blood: Cancer

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has he made of the effects of race on the likelihood of NHS patients surviving blood cancers.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of race on survival outcomes in patients with haematological cancers. The National Cancer Intelligence Network has published a report on cancer incidence and survival by ethnic group, but survival data have only been presented for the four most common cancers, which do not include haematological cancer.

Blood: Cancer

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to improve health outcomes for people diagnosed with blood cancers;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to improve health outcomes for people diagnosed with leukaemia;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to improve health outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer.

Paul Burstow: To improve outcomes for patients with cancer, including those with haematological cancers and children with cancer, on 12 January 2011 we published "Improving Outcomes-A Strategy for Cancer", which sets out a range of measures to improve cancer survival rates in England. It shows how we intend to tackle preventable cancer incidence, improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services and deliver outcomes that are comparable with the best in Europe. Through these approaches, the aim is to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15.
	The strategy makes clear that the improving outcomes in cancer guidance, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services. "Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers", which makes recommendations on the treatment, management and care of patients with haematological cancer, will ensure that the planning and commissioning of cancer services are organised to deliver the best patient outcomes.
	Specifically regarding improvements in the health outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer, "Improving Outcomes in Children and Young People" with cancer will continue to support commissioners and clinicians to make the right decisions about the care and treatment of children with cancer that deliver the best outcomes.
	The strategy also sets out how children with cancer will benefit from improved access to proton beam therapy (PBT). We are investing around £50 million more over the spending review period so that all high priority patients with a need for PBT get access to this innovative treatment. Evidence supports the use of PBT in increasing numbers of children with cancer, for example those with brain tumours, to deliver improved outcomes. We anticipate that this will benefit 400 patients per year by 2014-15, the majority of whom will be children. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.

Cancer: Surgery

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts used cyberknife technology in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Cyberknife is the manufacturer's name for a machine that delivers stereotactic body radiotherapy (SRBT). Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data available to the Department identify the treatments that the national health service provides but do not record the brand of equipment used.
	In the vast majority of cases, SRBT cannot be identified from other forms of radiotherapy treatment using HES data.

Cord Blood

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many umbilical cords were disposed of as waste without the collection of blood stem cells in each of the past three years.

Anne Milton: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Diabetes: Screening

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve detection rates for diabetes.

Paul Burstow: Awareness of diabetes is increasing and general practitioners (GPs) are playing a major role in identifying people either at risk or who already have diabetes, ensuring that they receive appropriate treatment at the earliest opportunity. Diabetes is in the quality and outcomes framework (QOF), part of the GP contract. Since diabetes management was included in QOF the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has increased to more than 2.3 million. In order to qualify for these incentives, GPs are required to record all patients with diabetes aged 17 and over on a practice register and undertake a series of tests annually to help assess and manage the risk of complications from diabetes.
	The NHS Health Check, a national risk assessment and management programme, will assess everyone between 40 and 74 for their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. It will help individuals manage their risk of these diseases by appropriate follow up and so help them stay well for longer and save lives. Those diagnosed with previously undetected disease will receive earlier management, improving their health outcomes for the future. Identification of those at high risk of having or developing diabetes is included within the programme.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework for 2011-12 includes a domain, which focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, such as diabetes. A NICE Quality Standard on diabetes is being developed to support those providing national health service care to deliver the outcomes set out in the NHS outcomes framework.
	The Public Health White Paper proposes a public health outcomes framework which is currently out for consultation. This includes a domain on prevention of ill-health and this is where measures relating to the prevention and detection of diabetes would best fit. In order for this to be achieved the NHS and public health systems will be required to work more closely together.

Diabetes: Screening

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) England and  (b) Leicester who are using blood glucose testing strips to monitor their diabetes condition.

Paul Burstow: Information on the number of people using blood glucose testing strips is not collected centrally.
	The following table shows the number of prescription items for blood glucose testing strips, dispensed in the community in England and in the primary care trust that best matches the geographical area of the Leicester East constituency, for the latest available 12 month period.
	
		
			  Blood glucose testing strip prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community-November 2009 to October 2010 
			  Geographic area  Items dispensed 
			 England 5,944,895 
			 Leicester City Primary Care Trust 58,165 
			  Note: Blood glucose testing strips are defined as those products listed in British National Formulary Chapter 6.1.6 "Diagnostic and monitoring devices for diabetes mellitus" (excluding Urine Testing Reagents, Ketone Blood Testing Reagents and other screening and monitoring agent preparations).  Source: Prescription cost analysis (PCA) system

Drugs: Mental Health Services

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in each NHS mental health hospital are recorded as using  (a) cannabis,  (b) methadone and  (c) other controlled substances;

Paul Burstow: The information is not available in the format requested. However, a table which shows information on admissions to hospital where the primary diagnosis is one of mental and behavioural disorder due to psychoactive substance use has been placed in the Library.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of drug treatment patients who have been in treatment for three years or more are resident in each English region; and how many such patients are being prescribed substitute drugs.

Anne Milton: Proportion of adults in drug treatment being prescribed substitute drugs for more than three years in 2009-10.
	
		
			  Region  Numbers in drug treatment for more than three years  Percentage of national  Numbers receiving substitute prescribing for more than three years 
			 East midlands 4,547 8 3,904 
			 East of England 3,394 6 2,840 
			 London 6,280 11 4,723 
			 North-east 4,588 8 3,930 
			 North-west 12,663 22 11,400 
			 South-east 5,515 10 4,852 
			 South-west 4,595 8 3,623 
			 West midlands 6,398 11 4,907 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 9,122 16 76,88 
			 National 57,102 100 47,867 
			  Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 
		
	
	The goal of all treatment is for drug users to achieve abstinence from their drug (or drugs) of dependency. However, there is no single form of drug treatment that is effective for all people with opioid dependence and access to a wide range of treatment options is required to respond to the varying needs of problem drug users. The total number of adults in contact with treatment services in 2009-10 was 207,000.

General Practitioners

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 52 GP Commissioning Pathfinders, what the  (a) name,  (b) management board members,  (c) planned operational date, (d) NHS bodies involved in planning, management or operations,  (e) independent or private sector organisations involved in planning, management or operations,  (f) NHS bodies expected to be involved in future planning, management or operations,  (g) independent or private sector organisations expected to be involved in future planning, management or operations,  (h) organisational code and name of each (i) GP practice and (ii) primary care organisation which are active members and (i) number and proportion of (A) GP practices and (B) primary care organisations within the area which are not currently active members are for each GP Commissioning Pathfinder; whether each Pathfinder has appointed a (1) qualified or accredited senior finance manager, (2) organisational development expert, (3) individual with expertise in corporate affairs or governance and (4) commissioning expert; from which organisations such individuals were recruited; and if he will publish a copy of this information in machine-readable form.

Simon Burns: The 52 pathfinders announced in December 2010 are already operational and assuming increased commissioning responsibilities from their primary care trusts (PCTs). A further 89 groups were announced on 17 January 2011. Both sets of names are in the following table.
	The 'Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011/12' set out that clusters of PCTs will provide support to emerging consortiums through a qualified or accredited senior finance manager, an organisational development expert/facilitator, an individual with expertise of appropriate governance arrangements/ corporate affairs and a commissioning expert.
	However, the Department is not collecting information on details of members and operational arrangements of pathfinders. The information may be best obtained through strategic health authorities, who are responsible for managing the selection process for the general practitioner (GP) pathfinders.
	
		
			  Strategic health authority (SHA)  Consortium name-cohort 1 (52 pathfinders) 
			 East of England Cambridgeshire Association to Commissioning Health (CATCH) 
			 East of England East Suffolk Federation 
			 East of England Fortis Group 
			 East of England HealthEast CIC 
			 East of England Hunts Health 
			 East of England Ipscom 
			 East of England The Red House Group 
			 East Midlands Principia 
			 East Midlands Bassetlaw Commissioning Organisation 
			 East Midlands Nene Commissioning Organisation 
			 London Bexley Clinical Cabinet 
			 London Ealing Commissioning Consortium 
			 London Great West Commissioning Consortium 
			 London Kingston Consortium 
			 London Newham Health Partnership 
			 London Redbridge 
			 London Southwark Health Commissioning (SHC) 
			 London The Sutton Consortium 
			 North East Newcastle Bridges GP Commissioning Consortia 
			 North East Langbaurgh 
			 North East County Durham 
			 North West Cumbria Senate 
			 North West Salford PBC Consortium 
			 North West Stockport Managed Care 
			 North West Manchester (North Central and South) 
			 North West West Cheshire Health Consortium 
			 North West Wirral GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West Eastern Cheshire Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West Trafford Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West Fleetwood Community Commissioning Group 
			 North West Wirral NHS Alliance 
			 South Central Basingstoke 
			 South Central Bracknell Forest 
			 South Central Buckinghamshire 
			 South Central Oxfordshire 
			 South Central South East Hampshire 
			 South Central South Reading 
			 South East Coast North East West Sussex Association of Commissioning Consortia 
			 South East Coast Coastal West Sussex Federation 
			 South East Coast Surrey Heath 
			 South East Coast Thames Medical 
			 South East Coast Guildford and Waverley 
			 South East Coast Dartford Gravesham and Swanley 
			 South West Baywide GPCC Limited 
			 South West Sentinel Healthcare Southwest Community Interest Company 
			 South West WyvernHealth 
			 South West South Glos Consortium Ltd 
			 West Midlands South Birmingham Integrated Clinical Commissioning Consortium 
			 West Midlands Dudley GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 West Midlands Herefordshire GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Doncaster Commissioning Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber North East Lincolnshire Commissioning Consortium 
		
	
	
		
			  SHA  Consortium name-cohort 2 (89 pathfinders) 
			 East of England North East Essex GP Commissioning Group 
			 East of England North Norfolk Health Consortium 
			 East of England West Essex Commissioning Consortia 
			 East of England Herts Valleys GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 East of England Essex GP Commissioning 
			 East Midlands Nottingham City 
			 East Midlands Lincoln West 
			 East Midlands East Lindsey 
			 East Midlands Wellcomm 
			 East Midlands Independent Practices Cluster 
			 London Brent GP Federation 
			 London Central London Healthcare (Westminster) 
			 London Croydon Healthcare Consortium 
			 London Kensington and Chelsea GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 London Victoria Commissioning Consortium (Westminster) 
			 London Waltham Forest Federated GP Consortium 
			 North East Gateshead (GatNet) 
			 North East Northumberland Commissioning Consortia 
			 North West Blackpool Commissioning Consortia 
			 North West Bolton GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West Vale Royal Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West Commissioning for Oldham Group 
			 North West South Sefton Commissioning Confederation 
			 North West Wirral Health Commissioning Consortium 
			 North West StHealth 
			 South Central Slough 
			 South Central Isle of Wight 
			 South Central Newbury 
			 South Central N and W Reading 
			 South Central Wokingham 
			 South East Coast DASH (Deal, Ash and Sandwich Health) 
			 South East Coast Dover 
			 South East Coast C4 Canterbury 
			 South East Coast Thanet 
			 South East Coast Whitstable Practice 
			 South East Coast East Cliff Practice 
			 South East Coast Maidstone and Mailing 
			 South East Coast Eastbourne 
			 South East Coast Hastings and Rother 
			 South East Coast EsyDoc 
			 South East Coast East Elmbridge 
			 South East Coast Mid Surrey 
			 South East Coast MedLinc 
			 South East Coast Golden Valley 
			 South East Coast Woking 
			 South West Bournemouth and Poole 
			 South West Inner City and East Bristol Locality 
			 South West North and West Bristol Locality 
			 South West South Bristol Consortia 
			 South West East Cornwall Commissioning Consortium 
			 South West Carrick Commissioning Consortium 
			 South West South Hams and West Devon Commissioning Group 
			 South West Eastern (Devon) Consortia Chairs Board 
			 South West Dorset GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 South West Cheltenham, Cleeve and Winchcombe PBC Consortium 
			 South West Federation of Bridgewater Practices 
			 South West Mid Cornwall Medical PBC Commissioning Group 
			 South West North Cornwall Commissioning Consortia 
			 South West North Somerset Consortium 
			 South West BANES GP Consortium 
			 South West South Devon Commissioning Consortium 
			 South West North Devon Locality Commissioning Group 
			 South West East Mendip Federation 
			 South West 5 Wiltshire Consortia-WWYKD, East Kennet, Alliance, Western, North Wiltshire 
			 South West Gloucestershire 
			 West Midlands Black Country GP Consortium 
			 West Midlands Solihull Commissioning 
			 West Midlands South Birmingham Independent Consortium 
			 West Midlands Stafford and Surrounds Consortium 
			 West Midlands Cannock Chase Commissioning Consortium 
			 West Midlands Telford and Wrekin GP Commissioning Group 
			 West Midlands South Worcestershire GP Commissioning 
			 West Midlands Wyre Forest GP Commissioning Consortium 
			 West Midlands Walsall GP Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Calderdale Commissioning Consortia 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber East Riding Transition Group 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Leeds (3 Consortia-combined pathfinder: H3 Plus Commissioning Grp/ Leodis Healthcare LLP/ Calibre) 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Hambleton and Richmondshire 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Harrogate and Rural District 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Central Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Hallam and South Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber North Sheffield Consortium for Health 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber West Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Wakefield Alliance Commissioning 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber South Elmsall and Rycroft Consortium 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Citycare 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber South and West Bradford 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Bingley and North

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made of its review of access to the NHS by foreign nationals;
	(2)  how much the NHS received from chargeable patients in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how much income due to the NHS from chargeable patients since 1997 has not been collected.

Anne Milton: The total audited income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal arrangements and total losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors for years 2002-03 to 2009-10, for which figures are available for England, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Non reciprocal income received (£)  Bad debts and claims abandoned in respect of overseas patients (£) 
			 2002-03 - 2,109,000 
			 2003-04 9,178,000 3,334,173 
			 2004-05 10,883,000 2,369,650 
			 2005-06 13,070,000 3,883,017 
			 2006-07 15,182,925 5,046,763 
			 2007-08 18,167,000 6,468,751 
			 2008-09 17,541,000 5,204,856 
			 2009-10 17,127,000 6,967,780 
			  Notes: 1. 2003-04 was the first year we separately identified income from overseas patients under non reciprocal agreements. Therefore there is no data before this time. 2. We do not collect data from National Health Service Foundation Trusts so figures from 2004-05 onwards exclude these sites.  Source: National Health Service Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules. 
		
	
	The Government are considering the responses to the previous administration's consultation document titled "Review of access to the national health service by foreign nationals".

Health: Advertising

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on advertising for the purposes of  (a) public health promotion and  (b) raising awareness of its services in 2010.

Anne Milton: The Department's estimated expenditure on advertising for public health promotion for 2010 was £25,002,000. This is a provisional figure because the invoicing for some campaigns run towards the end of the year will not have been completed.
	The figures do not include recruitment or classified advertising costs. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, Central Office of Information commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from Central Office of Information official turnover figures.
	The Department has not undertaken any advertising in 2010 to raise awareness of its services.

Influenza: Vaccination

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of doses of influenza vaccine available in NHS facilities in  (a) the North West and  (b) Warrington.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally. General practitioners (GPs) in England order seasonal influenza vaccine direct from the manufacturers, according to their patients' needs.
	About 14.5 million doses have been ordered (both private and national health service) from vaccine suppliers from the United Kingdom. Seasonal flu vaccine quantities each year are usually between 14 million and 15 million doses.
	The Department is aware of some reports of seasonal influenza vaccine supply issues in some areas. The NHS is working to ensure that any local vaccine shortages are managed effectively.
	The Department is working with the NHS at the local level to ensure available supplies of surplus vaccine are moved to where there is a need for them. The chief medical officer wrote to GPs in England on 6 January to confirm that they can use the H1N1 monovalent influenza vaccine Pandemrix, which will help protect people most at risk against the H1N1 virus which is causing the most illness. A copy of this letter has already been placed in the Library.
	There are potentially over 12 million doses of Pandemrix available to the NHS if needed.
	The Secretary of State has already agreed for a review of procurement options of the seasonal flu vaccine to be undertaken, including central procurement, although no decisions have yet been made.

Influenza: Vaccination

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he made the decision to launch the 2010-11 seasonal influenza public awareness campaign.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health received and considered advice on this issue over the Christmas period in response to data on rising rates of flu infection in England.
	The Catch it, Bin it, Kill it campaign is designed to encourage behaviours likely to slow the spread of flu. Research from previous Catch It Bin It Kill It campaigns shows that advertising was most likely to be effective when there were high levels of awareness about flu and colds circulating in the community.

Mentally Ill: Offenders

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of treating offenders with mental health problems in the community in each of the next five years; how much funding he plans to allocate to such treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The national health service is responsible for the commissioning of mental health care for offenders whether they are in prison or in the community. Decisions about funding are currently made by primary care trusts and, subject to passage of the appropriate legislation, will in the future be taken by general practice consortia and the NHS Commissioning Board.
	The Department is working with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to roll out a national diversion service at police stations and at courts by 2014. Working with the police and courts, we will identify a number of pathfinder sites that will help identify best practice, quantify the benefits, and develop appropriate quality standards.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 172W, on health services: overseas visitors, whether he has completed consideration of the policy of extending to six months per year the permitted period of absence for current UK residents who are not pensioners during which they are not liable to be charged for hospital treatment.

Anne Milton: The Government are considering the responses to the previous administration's consultation document titled "Review of access to the National Health Service by foreign nationals", which included a proposal to extend to up to six months per year the permitted period of absence for current United Kingdom residents who are not pensioners before they may be liable to be charged for hospital treatment.

NHS: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what directions his Department has issued to  (a) hospitals and  (b) other trusts on the annual amount by which capital expenditure must be reduced over the next three years.

Simon Burns: There have been no directions issued to the national health service directly instructing them to reduce their capital expenditure over the next three years.
	NHS capital expenditure is managed through an annual planning process, which allows local decision making to determine the priority areas for investment. Forecasts for future years are also included in these plans.
	Although the available capital will be reduced over the spending review, it will remain higher in real-terms over the next four years than spending in 2007-08 or any year before.
	The Department expects NHS plans to be affordable on this basis.

NHS: Finance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made on achieving savings in the NHS.

Simon Burns: The spending review set out the Government's commitment to delivering efficiency improvements in the national health service of up to £20 billion over the next four years (from 2011-12 through 2014-15). This includes a saving of £1.9 billion in the costs of administration across the health system. All savings will be available to re-invest in improving services and outcomes for patients.
	The approach to delivering these savings has been developed bottom-up with individual NHS organisations formulating their own plans to deliver quality and efficiency improvements, based upon their own specific local circumstances and priorities, recognising variations in how services are provided and the scale of the challenge. While this process is focussed on the spending review period commencing in April 2011, many NHS organisations are already delivering savings and quality improvements locally.
	For example, in Yorkshire and the Humber, staff are working to save £22.5 million across the region by reducing infections, pressure ulcers, falls and deterioration in the form of deep vein thrombosis and clots. Nationally these currently cost the NHS £1 billion a year. Simple systems designed by staff and understood by everyone involved can dramatically improve safety records and deliver safer care to patients every day.
	The Department has also taken action centrally to deliver savings, including through strict cross-Government controls introduced in May 2010 on areas of spending including consultancy, communications and marketing and information technology projects. It has also undertaken a thorough review of all health arm's length bodies, which will reduce their number from 18 to between eight and 10 and deliver savings of around £180 million annually by 2014-15.

NHS: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the level of debt or surplus held by each primary care trust  (a) in 2009-10 and  (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Tables showing the surplus or deficit in each primary care trust in 2009-10 and forecast of Quarter two 2010-11, which is the most recent date for which figures are available, have been placed in the Library.

Older People: Domestic Accidents

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to reduce the number of falls experienced by elderly people in their homes which result in a hospital visit.

Paul Burstow: Hip fractures remain the most serious consequence of a fall in older people and there is a significant programme of work in development by the Department to reduce the number of falls and fractures that occur in England. This includes the consideration of indicators that relate to falls and fragility fractures as part of the NHS Outcomes Framework, the Department's 2009 publication of a Falls and Fractures Commissioning Toolkit, the Best Practice Tariff that is in place which incentivises high quality care in hip fracture patients and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on hip fracture care.
	The majority of fractures in older people occur as a result from a fall from standing height, commonly affecting the pelvis, wrist, upper arm or hip. Recurrent falls are often a manifestation of impaired postural stability. This can result from a combination of factors, such as conditions like arthritis, stroke or Parkinson's disease, age-related frailty and long-term cardio-respiratory conditions leading to loss of strength, balance and concentration or insight. External factors can contribute to falls, such as poor or cold housing or behavioural issues such as excessive alcohol consumption.
	We have also made additional funding available to primary care trusts (PCTs) in order to support social care services. On 4 January 2011, the Department announced it was providing £162 million to PCTs that they will transfer to local authorities for immediate spending on social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. PCTs will need to work together with local authorities to agree jointly on appropriate areas for social care investment, and the outcomes expected from this investment. The investment may be used to support and maintain existing services such as telecare, community directed prevention (including falls prevention), community equipment and adaptations, and crisis response services. The Department would expect these decisions to take into account the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for their local population, and the existing commissioning plans for both health and social care. PCTs will work with local authorities to achieve these outcomes in a transparent and efficient manner, with local authorities keeping PCTs informed of progress using appropriate local mechanisms.
	The 2011-12 Operating Framework for the national health service in England includes a focus on joint working between the NHS and its local Government partners, especially in the area of community-directed prevention (including falls prevention) and backs this up with further PCT allocations totalling £648 million. These allocations will be transferred to local authorities for spending on social care services to benefit health in the next financial year. This is part of a package of additional funding, worth £1.3 billion in 2011-12, that will support the delivery of social care in the context of a challenging local government settlement.

Primary Care Trusts: Manpower

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in primary care trusts on 1 January 2011.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not yet available. It will be published on 22 March 2011 by the NHS Information Centre.
	The most current monthly data available is for September 2010, however, this is not census data and the differences to the census can be found in the technical paper "Technical Data: Differences between the 2009 Census and the September 2009 data in the new monthly publication" which is published by the NHS Information Centre and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-numbers/provisional-monthly-nhs-hospital-and-community-health-service-hchs-workforce-statistics-in-england
	A copy of the above document has been placed in the Library.

Rehabilitation: Health Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of  (a) smoking,  (b) alcohol and  (c) drug-related illnesses in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The Department does not maintain an annual record of the cost to the national health service of treating people with alcohol, drugs or tobacco-related diseases.
	However, academic research has indicated that the direct cost to the NHS of treating people with tobacco related-illnesses in England is £2.7 billion per annum (Callum C. (2008) 'The cost of smoking to the NHS"\n Health Economics, Policy and Law'). This report is available online at:
	http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type =l&pdftype=1&fid=7879505&jid=HEP&volumeId=-1&issueId=&aid=7879503
	The Department reviewed the cost of alcohol related harm to the NHS in 2008. The cost of alcohol misuse to the NHS in England was estimated to be £2.7 billion per year for 2006-07 ('The Cost of alcohol harm to the NHS, Department of Health', 2008, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library)
	The Department has also estimated the cost of Class A drug use to the NHS in 2008-09 to be £585 million.
	This estimate was calculated using the following academic reports: Gordon L. Tinsley L. Godfrey C. et al. (2006) 'The economic and social costs of class A drug use in England and Wales 2003/04', Singleton N. Murray R. Tinsley L. 'Measuring different aspects of problem drug use: methodological developments. Home Office Online Report 16/06' and L. Curtis 'Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2010', Personal Social Services Research Unit.
	Community drug treatment is funded by the Department through the Pooled Treatment Budget (PTB). The PTB is £406 million in 2010-11 and covers drug treatment for adults and young people. This budget includes £22 million from the Ministry of Justice as a contribution towards the delivery of drug rehabilitation requirements. Local primary care trusts also make an additional £156 million in health funding available to support drug treatment.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Health Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding each primary care trust allocated to treating and preventing sexually transmitted infections in  (a) each of the last five financial years and (b) 2010-11.

Anne Milton: Information on programme budgeting estimates of primary care trust (PCTs) expenditure on treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV and AIDS from 2006-07, the first year for which figures are available to 2009-10, the latest year for which figures are available, has been placed in the Library. Information on how much PCTs allocated to prevention is not collected centrally.

Spinal Injuries: Health Services

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for the future of spinal injury centres;
	(2)  how many spinal cord injuries were treated in NHS facilities in  (a) Sunderland,  (b) the North East and  (c) England in each year since 2000.

Paul Burstow: The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary diagnosis of 'spinal cord injuries' and a count of how many of those FCEs also had recorded a procedure or intervention, are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Total FCEs  FCEs with a procedure or intervention 
			   National  North East strategic health authority  Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust  National  NESHA  Sunderland Teaching PCT 
			 2009-10 793 84 0 556 60 0 
			 2008-09 791 100 * 554 68 0 
			 2007-08 868 124 * 622 112 * 
			 2006-07 834 114 - 394 48  
			 2005-06 801 111 * 220 38 0 
			 2004-05 662 64 0 144 21 0 
			 2003-04 630 57 0 159 22 0 
			 2002-03 533 63 * 141 26 0 
			 2001-02 416 31 * 120 8 0 
			 2000-01 368 7 0 92 0 0 
			  Note: These data are presented as a count of FCEs rather than treatments, more than one spinal cord treatment could have been undertaken in a single FCE; also a single patient could have had multiple FCEs. Data for Sunderland Teaching PCT is unavailable for 2006-07 due to an issue with data processing. There are no instances of six or more FCEs treated within Sunderland Teaching PCT, therefore these data have been suppressed. Prior to 1 April 2006 'North East SHA' existed as 'Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA' and 'County Durham and Tees Valley SHA'  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	There are currently no plans to change spinal injury centres.

Stem Cells: Medical Treatments

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the use of blood stem cell transplantation for non-cancerous diseases and conditions.

Anne Milton: Data collated by the British Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, in 2009 indicates that 150 (20%) of donor stem cell transplants carried out in the United Kingdom were for non-cancerous conditions such as bone marrow failure, immunodeficiency, haemoglobinopathy, inherited metabolic disorders, and autoimmune conditions.

EDUCATION

Academies: Kent

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies in Kent are university-assisted; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 10 January 2011
	Five Academies in Kent are co-sponsored by universities. The Department and the Young People's Learning Agency do not hold details on other possible informal partnership and support arrangements with universities in Kent.

Baroness Campbell: Meetings

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Chesterfield of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 628, on secondary school standards, where meetings with Baroness Campbell took place; who was present at each such meeting; how long each such meeting lasted; what subjects were discussed at each such meeting; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the agenda and minutes of each such meeting;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 1070-71W, on the Youth Sport Trust, on what date each meeting with  (a) Baroness Campbell and  (b) the Youth Sport Trust took place; who was present at each meeting; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting.

Tim Loughton: holding answers 29 November 2010 and 11 January 2011
	The Secretary of State met Baroness Campbell on a number of occasions before the general election. After the election he met her at the launch of the Olympic and Paralympic style school sport competition at the City of London Academy in Southwark, on 28 June. A range of people were present at these meetings. The event in Southwark lasted an hour. The Secretary of State also met the baroness on 16 December 2010, for around 20 minutes at the Department for Education in Westminster. No agendas or minutes were produced for these meetings.

Class Sizes: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many bulge classes there are in schools in the London Borough of Newham; and in which school years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The latest statistics on class sizes can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000925/index.shtml
	table 14A.

Dance: Finance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department will provide to national dance centres for advanced training from April 2011 onwards.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 12 January 2011
	 The coalition Government support the Music and Dance scheme, which has successfully supported the education and vocational training of exceptionally talented young musicians and dancers. We shall take decisions about the future funding of the Music and Dance scheme in the context of the forthcoming recommendations by Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM, following his review of music education.

Departmental Communication

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dundee of 11 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 12-13W, on departmental communication, what record his Department holds of  (a) instances of complaints by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families on the quality of (i) speeches and (ii) briefings provided to him by officials and  (b) the steps taken in consequence.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	 There is no record of any complaints by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families.

Departmental Written Questions

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has a target for providing a substantive answer to questions tabled for answer on a named day.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 9 December 2010
	The Department has historically set an internal target of 90% of named day PQs to receive a substantive answer on the named day. As the volume of named day PQs has increased by approximately 50% since the election, we are reviewing both the internal targets and the resources available to answer questions.

Discretionary Learner Support Awards

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent under each budget heading on the discretionary learner support awards in the last 12 months.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 January 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the discretionary learner support funding for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Scunthorpe with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 22 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ32112 that asked:
	"How much was spent under each budget heading on the discretionary Learner Support awards in the last 12 months."
	Allocations to providers for discretionary Learner Support for the academic year 2010/11 are made in three stages-August 2010, December 2010 and March 2011. The amounts paid so far against each budget line are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 16-18 Hardship 18,772,965 
			 16-18 Residential bursary funding 3,889,683 
			 19+ Hardship 32,924,475 
			 20+ Childcare 24,606,521 
			 19+ Residential bursary funding 1,787,226 
		
	
	The allocations for the academic year 2009/10 were:
	
		
			   £ 
			 16-18 Hardship 26,792,915 
			 16-18 Residential bursary funding 5,446,446 
			 19+ Hardship 43,382,391 
			 20+ Childcare 33,109,763 
			 19+ Residential bursary funding 2,121,853 
		
	
	These figures are based on allocations and validated amounts of actual spend will be published in the YPLA Annual Report.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision he has made for the administrative costs of the Discretionary Learner Support Fund in 2010-11; and from which of his Department's budgets such costs will be met.

Nick Gibb: Currently colleges and training providers who are in receipt of discretionary learner support funds can use up to 5% of their allocation for administrative costs. We will consider what provision should be made for the administrative costs of the new enhanced discretionary learner support fund as we finalise the arrangements for that scheme. In doing so we will consult with schools, colleges and training organisations.

Early Intervention Grant: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of the Early Intervention Grant will fund community activities for young people; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 12 January 2011
	In challenging times the Government are freeing local authorities to focus on essential frontline services, and to invest in early intervention and prevention to produce long-term savings and better results for children, young people and families. A key element of this approach is the creation of a new Early Intervention Grant for local authorities in England, worth £2,212 million in 2011-12 and £2,297 million in 2012-13. It replaces a number of former funding streams, which are listed in a note on my Department's website. The Early Intervention Grant is not ring-fenced, so it is for each local authority to determine what proportion of the grant will fund community activities for young people.

Education

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to ensure that compulsory education includes both vocational and academic routes of study.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out a review of vocational education and we will also shortly be announcing details of our plans to review the National Curriculum. The outcomes of both reviews will inform any future policy development.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many young people resident in  (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and  (b) Liverpool, are eligible for education maintenance allowance;
	(2)  how many young people resident in  (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and  (b) Liverpool have applied for education maintenance allowance in each year since the scheme's inception.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 20 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions PQ31763 and PQ31764 that asked:
	"How many young people resident in (a) Liverpool Wavertree constituency and (b) Liverpool are eligible for educational maintenance allowance."
	"How many young people resident in (a) Liverpool Wavertree constituency and (b) Liverpool have applied for educational maintenance allowance in each year since the scheme's inception."
	Information on the number of young people who have received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	We do not hold information on which young people and households are eligible for (EMA), only on the number of young people who apply for the scheme.
	As at 30 November 2010, the take-up figure for young people in Liverpool who have received EMA during the 2010/11 academic year was 6,397.
	The table below show applications and take-up data for Liverpool local authority.
	
		
			  Academic year  Applications  Successful applicants  Unsuccessful applications 
			 2004/05 5,827 5,676 151 
			 2005/06 6,434 6,312 122 
			 2006/07 7,788 7,652 136 
			 2007/08 7,913 7,778 135 
			 2008/09 7,464 7,213 251 
			 2009/10(*) 4,167 4,075 92 
			 2010/11(*) (as at 30 November 10) 3,391 3,335 56 
		
	
	Continuing learners in the years marked '*' did not need to submit a new application for EMA for that year as they were covered by the EMA Guarantee.
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education Maintenance Allowance: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency have received the education maintenance allowance (EMA) since its inception; and how much EMA has been paid out to such children in that period.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 20 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ31119 that asked:
	"How many children in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency have received the education maintenance allowance (EMA) since its inception; and how much EMA has been paid out to such children in that period."
	Information on the number of young people who have received EMA is available at Local Authority (LA) level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	Birmingham LA take-up data:
	
		
			  Academic year  Take-up 
			 2010-11 (at 31 October 2010) 18,107 
			 2009-10 (at 31 August 2010) 19,862 
			 2008-09 (at 31 August 2009) 17,516 
			 2007-08 (at 31 August 2008) 17,117 
			 2006-07 (at 31 August 2007) 16,531 
			 2005-06 (at 31 August 2006) 14,182 
			 2004-05 (at 31 August 2005) 12,749 
		
	
	In 2009/10 (the last complete EMA year for which we have figures) the total EMA expenditure on Birmingham LA residents was £17,215,070 (of which £14,427,960 was spent on weekly payments and £2,787,110 on bonus payments).
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education Maintenance Allowance: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in Birmingham, Ladywood receive education maintenance allowance (EMA); and what steps his Department is taking to assist students who will not receive EMA in the next academic year to prepare for its replacement.

Nick Gibb: The question of numbers of recipients is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member for Birmingham Ladywood with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. It will be replaced by an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which will be administered by schools, colleges and training providers. We are working with the Association of Colleges, Sutton Trust and others as we finalise the arrangements for the new fund, including support for students in advance of the changes.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener dated, 20 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ31394 that asked: "How many students in Birmingham, Ladywood receive education maintenance allowance (EMA); and what steps his Department is taking to assist students who will not receive EMA in the next academic year to prepare for its replacement."
	Information on the number of young people who have received EMA is available at Local Authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	As at 30 November 2010 the take-up figure for Birmingham Local Authority was 18,107.
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/
	The YPLA is responsible for the delivery of EMA. The Department for Education is responsible for policy and will answer the second part of your question regarding future assistance for students.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Brighton

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much his Department's predecessor spent on education maintenance allowance in  (a) the city of Brighton and Hove and  (b) Hove constituency in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009;
	(2)  how many children in  (a) the city of Brighton and Hove and  (b) Hove constituency took up education maintenance allowance in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Hove with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 22 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions PQ32303 and PQ32304 that asked:
	"How many children in (a) the city of Brighton and Hove and (b) Hove constituency took up education maintenance allowance in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009."
	"How much his Department's predecessor spent on education maintenance allowance in (a) the city of Brighton and Hove and (b) Hove constituency in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009."
	Information on the number of young people who have received EMA is available at Local Authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The take-up figures for Brighton and Hove are:
	
		
			  Academic year  Take-up 
			 2007/08 2,248 
			 2008/09 2,243 
			 2009/10 2,647 
		
	
	The total spent on EMA in the Brighton and Hove area for the 2009/10 Academic Year was £2,336,465. Precise information for 2007/08 and 2008/09 is not available but the average weekly payments have been consistently at £27 or more.
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education Maintenance Allowance: Greater London

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people claimed education maintenance allowance in each local authority area in Greater London in each year since 2005; and how much was claimed in each borough in each such year by amount for the time period 2005-10.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 10 January 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member for Walthamstow with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people in Redditch constituency received education maintenance allowance in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member for Redditch with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	  Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 21 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ32242.
	Information on the number of young people who have received EMA is available at Local Authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	Take-up figures for Worcestershire Local Authority are:
	
		
			  Academic year  Take-up 
			 2006/07 5,371 
			 2007/08 5,513 
			 2008/09 5,267 
			 2009/10 5,449 
			 2010/11 (as at 30 November) 5,745 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education Maintenance Allowance: Wolverhampton

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people in Wolverhampton are in receipt of education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the right hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 21 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ 031496.
	EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	As at 30 November 2010, the take-up figure for young people in Wolverhampton who have received EMA during the 2010/11 academic year was 4,051.
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education White Paper

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what  (a) representations he has received on and  (b) assessment he has made of the effect on rural areas of the proposals in the Education White Paper.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has received no formal representations on the effect of "The Importance of Teaching: the Schools White Paper" on rural areas. However, rural schools are represented in the stakeholder groups with which the Department for Education consults on schools policy development and delivery, namely the Secondary Heads Reference Group, the Primary Heads Reference Group and the Bureaucracy Reduction Group. Discussions with stakeholder groups are ongoing on the implications of the White Paper for rural schools.
	The Department for Education fulfilled its statutory obligations by publishing full economic and equality impact assessments alongside the Schools White Paper. It did not complete a separate formal assessment of its effect on rural areas. Officials are considering the impact of individual policies on rural schools in the light of feedback from stakeholders.

Education: Anti-Semitism

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on allegations of the teaching of anti-Semitic ideology in British Madrasas, funded from sources in Saudi Arabia.

Nick Gibb: I am aware of the recent Panorama report including allegations about the teaching materials used by Saudi Students Schools and Clubs UK. The Government are clear that homophobic or anti-Semitic material must not be used in English schools. Ofsted is already working in the area of part-time education and the Secretary of State has asked for their views on how to address concerns about such provision.

Free School Meals

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children who attended  (a) maintained primary schools,  (b) Catholic maintained primary schools,  (c) maintained secondary schools and  (d) Catholic maintained secondary schools were eligible for free school meals in 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is shown in the table. This includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part-time pupils aged five to 15.
	
		
			  Maintained primary( 1)  and state-funded secondary schools( 1,2)  school meal arrangements( 3,4) , as at January 2010 
			   Roman Catholic maintained primary schools( 1)  Other maintained primary schools( 1,5)  Total maintained primary schools( 1)  Roman Catholic state-funded secondary schools( 1,2)  Other state-funded secondary schools( 1,2,5)  Total state-funded secondary schools( 1,2) 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(3,4) 60,810 648,560 709,370 37,890 403,260 441,140 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(3,4) 15.9 18.8 18.5 13.9 15.6 15.4 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (4) Includes pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (5) Includes non-religious schools, schools of other faiths, multi-faith schools and multi-denominational schools.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Free School Meals: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in  (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency,  (b) each other parliamentary constituency in London and  (c) each London borough received free school meals in the last four years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible and claiming free school meals in each parliamentary constituency from 2007 to 2010 has been placed in the House Libraries. This includes full time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part time pupils aged 5 to 15.
	The local authority level tables can be found in the following Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics Statistical First Releases:
	2010 release, tables 11a, b and c:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000925/index.shtml
	2009 release, tables 11a, b and c:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000843/index.shtml
	2008 release, tables B8, B9 and B20:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	2007 release, tables 19, 20 and 29:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	Information is not available on those pupils who meet the eligibility criteria but do not make a claim.

Free School Meals: Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in Redditch constituency claim free school meals; and what rate of take-up this represents.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is shown in the table.
	Information is not available on those pupils who meet the eligibility criteria but do not make a claim.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, maintained primary( 1) , State-funded secondary( 1, 2)  and special schools( 3) : School meal arrangements( 4, 5) , as at January 2010 -In England and Redditch parliamentary constituency 
			   Nursery and Primary Schools( 1)  State-funded secondary schools( 1,2)  Special schools( 3) 
			   Number on roll( 4, 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4,5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals  Number on roll( 4, 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4,5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals  Number on roll( 4, 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4,5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 England 3,838,680 711,410 18.5 2,864,350 441,140 15.4 78,330 27,330 34.9 
			 Redditch 4,501 786 17.5 6,224 912 14.7 168 62 36.9 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (4) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (5) Pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 and under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15.  Note: Figures for England have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Higher Education: Finance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the effects of the Government's proposals for funding of higher education on the future supply of qualified teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 December 2010
	The Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, makes clear the Government's commitment to continuing improvement in the quality of teaching in schools, including attracting more high quality graduates into teaching. In early 2011, we will publish a discussion document on initial teacher training that will build on, and take account of, the proposals from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on reforms to higher education and to student finance.

Home Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children who were home-schooled in each constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect information about the numbers of home-schooled children and does not make estimates of the number of home-schooled children in each constituency.

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Ministers of his Department have visited the North East since their appointment; and what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each such visit.

Tim Loughton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education visited the North East in December 2010, during which he visited the following school and colleges:
	Consett Community Sports College, County Durham
	Stanley Technology College, Durham
	Duchess of Alnwick School, Alnwick
	No other Minister has visited the North East in an official capacity since their appointment although I have visits planned in the diary shortly.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that rural primary schools with high standards of achievement are not adversely affected by the implementation of the proposed pupil premium.

Nick Gibb: The pupil premium will provide additional funding for every disadvantaged pupil in the country and will not adversely affect any schools, or in itself cause any school to see a drop in its funding. The recent spending review protected overall school funding at the current cash per pupil level, with the pupil premium being provided in addition to this. All pupils who are eligible for free school meals will receive the pupil premium in 2011-12.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of the funds allocated to the pupil premium are to be allocated to  (a) urban and  (b) rural areas; what estimate he has made of the number of pupils in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas who will benefit from the pupil premium; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: It is not yet possible to be certain about the amount of money that will be allocated to urban and rural areas or how many pupils will attract the deprivation pupil premium. The deprivation pupil premium for 2011-12 will be allocated to local authorities and schools with pupils that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) as recorded on the January 2011 school census. Each FSM pupil will attract £430 of funding which will go direct to the school or academy if the pupil is in a mainstream setting or will be managed by the responsible local authority if the pupil is in a non-mainstream setting.
	The January 2010 school census allows an estimate of the urban/rural allocation to be determined. Based on this estimate:
	 (a) 92% of the pupil premium will go to urban areas
	 (b) 8% of the pupil premium will go to rural areas

Pupils: Foreign Nationals

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children registered in schools in  (a) England,  (b) each region and  (c) each local authority area did not list their country of origin as either the UK or another EU member state in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the country of origin of pupils is not centrally collected.
	The latest information on the ethnic origin of pupils is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1) : number and percentage of pupils by ethnic group ( 4) ; January 2010 (provisional)-England 
			   Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			   Maintained Primary Schools( 1)  State-Funded Secondary Schools( 1,2)  Special Schools( 3) 
			   Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			 White 2,535,780 78.5 2,638,190 81.2 69,440 80.8 
			 White British 2,385,290 73.8 2,510,710 77.3 66,650 77.6 
			 Irish 10,310 0.3 11,620 0.4 260 0.3 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 2,840 0.1 1,090 0.0 70 0.1 
			 Gypsy/Roma 7,190 0.2 3,620 0.1 190 0.2 
			 Any other White background 130,170 4.0 111,150 3.4 2,270 2.6 
			
			 Mixed 140,290 4.3 113,340 3.5 3,310 3.9 
			 White and Black Caribbean 42,730 1.3 38,440 1.2 1,200 1.4 
			 White and Black African 16,050 0.5 11,470 0.4 340 0.4 
			 White and Asian 30,500 0.9 23,540 0.7 570 0.7 
			 Any other Mixed background 51,010 1.6 39,890 1.2 1,210 1.4 
			
			 Asian 310,960 9.6 258,180 7.9 6,530 7.6 
			 Indian 81,590 2.5 80,840 2.5 1,340 1.6 
			 Pakistani 131,470 4.1 96,580 3.0 3,330 3.9 
			 Bangladeshi 53,940 1.7 40,580 1.2 900 1.0 
			 Any other Asian background 43,960 1.4 40,170 1.2 950 1.1 
			
			 Black 163,750 5.1 143,940 4.4 4,560 5.3 
			 Black Caribbean 45,210 1.4 44,790 1.4 1,400 1.6 
			 Black African 99,060 3.1 83,270 2.6 2,440 2.8 
			 Any other Black background 19,480 0.6 15,870 0.5 720 0.8 
			
			 Chinese 11,040 0.3 13,430 0.4 220 0.3 
			
			 Any other ethnic group 46,850 1.5 39,200 1.2 840 1.0 
			
			 Classified(4) 3,208,670 99.3 3,206,260 98.7 84,900 98.8 
			
			 Unclassified(6) 21,450 0.7 42,150 1.3 1,000 1.2 
			
			 Minority Ethnic Pupils(7) 823,390 25.5 695,550 21.4 18,250 21.2 
			
			 All pupils(8) 3,230,120 100.0 3,248,410 100.0 85,900 100.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes General Hospital Schools. (4) Pupils of compulsory school age and above were classified according to ethnic group. Excludes dually registered pupils. (5) The number of pupils by ethnic group expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above. (6) Information refused or not obtained. (7) Includes all pupils classified as belonging to an ethnic group other than White British. (8) All pupils of compulsory school age and above.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to equalise his Department's expenditure per pupil.

Nick Gibb: For 2011-12, we are continuing with the current methodology for providing funding to local authorities for schools, to allow for the clear and transparent introduction of the pupil premium. However, in the Schools White Paper "The Importance of Teaching", published on 24 November, we set out our longer term vision for reforming school funding.
	Our long-term aspiration is to move to a national funding formula to ensure that resources going to schools are transparent, logical and equitable. In order to ensure any move to a new national funding formula is fair, transparent and managed carefully, we will invite views on: the merits of moving to such a formula, the right time to begin the transition to a formula, the transitional arrangements necessary to ensure that schools and local authorities do not suffer undue turbulence, and the factors to take into account in order to assess the needs of pupils for funding purposes. We will publish a consultation in the spring of 2011, following discussion with interested parties including local authorities, school leaders and teachers' associations.

Schools: Asbestos

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will commission a national audit to determine the  (a) extent,  (b) type,  (c) condition and  (d) current management arrangements for asbestos in school buildings.

Nick Gibb: In January 2009 the then Department for Children Schools and Families carried out a survey of the management of asbestos in system-built schools to confirm that the school duty holders were managing asbestos correctly. The survey focused on system-built schools, such as CLASP, as these are most likely to contain high levels of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs).
	The majority of local authorities demonstrated that they have procedures and precautions in place to manage asbestos safely. Visits were made to those authorities where the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) considered further clarification of arrangements was necessary to ensure they were complying with the legal requirements set out in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. HSE served enforcement notices on a small number of authorities to improve asbestos management standards.
	HSE has also written to the chief executives of all 152 authorities to highlight key messages on managing asbestos, and to remind them that effective management of asbestos in schools is an ongoing requirement for authorities and other duty holders across all schools under their control.
	This survey and inspection programme is the latest in a series of initiatives to ensure that local authorities and schools responsible for system buildings are managing the risks from asbestos. HSE will conduct a further survey and inspection initiative between October 2010 and March 2011 to check compliance with the regulations in a sample of schools that fall outside local authority control.

Schools: Cycling

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families will take steps to increase the number of schools in which children are able to take part in cycling as part of their physical education provision.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 14 December 2010
	Cycling is a valuable sporting and physical activity for school pupils, and schools can offer it as part of the physical education curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity. The Department announced in the schools White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', our approach to ensuring that there is enough space in the school day to guarantee a truly rounded education for all.
	We have also set out the direction of travel, and initial funding, for our new approach on school sports, including cycling. Schools will receive funding to allow PE teachers to further embed competitive sport in schools across the country and raise participation. Lastly, Sport England have announced that Bikeability will be supported for the rest of this Parliament, which will give the next generation of children the confidence and skills to ride more safely, increasing their physical activity and giving them an additional means of travel to and from sporting competitions.

Schools: Elections

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools were closed due to local elections in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010.

Nick Gibb: We do not collect this information. Returning Officers have the right, in law, to select schools as polling stations. Decisions as to whether or not a school closes for polling are within the discretion of the head teacher. Decisions will usually depend on what arrangements can be made for voting to take place separately from the rest of the school premises.

Schools: Finance

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects his Department's capital review team to report on its proposals for school funding in Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Nick Gibb: The capital review team is now working on its final report, which will be presented to Ministers in January 2011.

Schools: Health Education

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to schools on teaching positive bone health messages in personal, social, health and economic education lessons.

Nick Gibb: The current Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programmes of study provide teachers with a framework for teaching. Schools have the flexibility to design their curriculum and tailor their provision to suit the needs of their pupils and can choose to teach about positive bone health as part of PSHE education. Pupils also learn about bones in the science curriculum; and that taking exercise and eating the right types and amounts of food help humans to keep healthy; and that conception, growth, development, behaviour and health can be affected by diet, drugs and disease.
	In the Schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", published on 24 November, we announced our intention to conduct an internal review of PSHE education. We want to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE teaching by retaining the flexibility of teachers to use their professional judgment in what they teach, taking account of the needs of their pupils and the views of parents. As part of the review, we will consider what guidance to issue to support schools in providing high quality PSHE.

Schools: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children resident in  (a) the London borough of Newham and  (b) West Ham constituency attend a school outside the borough.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of pupils( 1, 2)  resident in Newham who attend a school maintained by another local authority, 2010 
			Number of resident pupils who attend schools outside Newham 
			   Number of resident pupils  Primary( 2)  Secondary( 2) 
			   Primary( 2)  Secondary( 2)  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Newham 27,562 17,914 687 2.5 1,413 7.9 
			
			 West Ham 13,217 8,937 349 2.6 836 9.4 
			 (1) Includes: Solely registered and main registration of dually registered pupils in National Curriculum Year Groups Reception to Year 11. Excludes pupils reported to be boarders. (2) Includes pupils attending: maintained primary schools, maintained secondary schools, middle schools as deemed; secondary includes City Technology Colleges and Academies.  Source: School Census

Schools: Personnel

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of individuals of each gender working as school support staff in  (a) maintained schools and  (b) non-maintained schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education (DfE) has not routinely collected data in relation to the gender of school support staff. From March 2011, information on the characteristics, including gender, of all school support staff who are employed in the publicly funded sector will become available within the Department for Education's new annual School Workforce Census. In this context, 'publicly funded sector' means: local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools; Pupil Referral Units; Academies; City Technology Colleges and other non-school education. DfE does not collect information on the gender of school support staff from schools outside the publicly funded sector and currently has no plans to do so.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools he expects to be refurbished in the next five years; and how many such schools he expects to have  (a) major refurbishments and  (b) essential repairs.

Nick Gibb: Major refurbishment projects in schools are normally funded through capital funding. Essential repairs to school buildings can be funded by either capital or revenue funding. On 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 949-65, the Chancellor announced the Department for Education's spending review (SR) settlement for four years commencing April 2011. This included £15.8 billion of capital spending.
	The Secretary of State for Education has announced a review of all areas of the Department's capital spending and the outcome of the review, due early in the new year, will inform how the SR settlement should be prioritised. Our priorities are the basic need for pupil places and dilapidation.
	Capital allocations for the first year of the SR (2011-12) were announced with the Secretary of State's written ministerial statement on the Schools Financial Settlement on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 65-70WS.

Schools: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the implication for schools in rural areas of the proposals in the Education White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Rural schools are represented in the stakeholder groups with which the Department for Education consults on schools policy development and delivery, namely the Secondary Heads Reference Group, the Primary Heads Reference Group and the Bureaucracy Reduction Group. Discussions with stakeholder groups are ongoing on the implications of the White Paper for rural schools.
	The Department for Education fulfilled its statutory obligations by publishing full economic and equality impact assessments alongside the Schools White Paper. It did not complete a separate formal assessment of its effect on rural areas. Officials are considering the impact of individual policies on rural schools in the light of feedback from stakeholders.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the level of participation of pupils in competitive activity between schools; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: As set out in the Government's recent White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', physical education and competitive sport in schools are important issues for the coalition Government. The Department for Education is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop a model to assist an Olympic-style approach to school sport. This will aim for high levels of pupil participation; competition is a way of ensuring breadth, so that all students can be involved, not just the highest performing students.

Science: Education

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of science and mathematics teaching.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper 'The Importance of Teaching' sets out the Government's intention to provide support to increase the number of specialist science and mathematics teachers and to improve the skills of existing teachers. This will include encouraging and supporting primary schools to develop specialist mathematics teachers and a number of changes to get more good people into teaching, such as expanding Teach First and readjusting incentives for graduates. We will also review the National Curriculum and 14-19 qualifications to ensure that children gain the knowledge they need in maths and science, in order to progress and develop their understanding and provide them with the solid foundation to progress on to further study in these and related subjects at a higher level if they so wish.

Secondary Education: Finance

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to initiate the process announced in the comprehensive spending review of allowing secondary schools to bid towards capital spending schemes.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State announced allocations of capital for schools in 2011-12 in a written ministerial statement on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 65-70WS. That capital was allocated without the need for any bidding.
	Ministers aim to announce as soon as possible our decisions on the spending of the DFE capital element of the spending review settlement for 2012-13 to 2014-15. The decisions will embody the Government's response to the capital review led by Sebastian James. The review team is to report to Ministers shortly.

Secondary Education: Pupil Numbers

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils attended secondary schools in which there were over  (a) 1,000,  (b) 1,500 and  (c) 2,000 pupils in 2010.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  State-funded secondary schools( 1, 2) : Number of schools by size( 3 ,) as at January 2010-In England 
			   State-funded secondary schools( 1, 2) 
			   Number of schools  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4) 
			 Schools of size(5):
			 Over 1,000 pupils 1,487 1,959,790 60.3 
			 Over 1,500 pupils 303 522,010 16.1 
			 Over 2,000 pupils 30 65,140 2.0 
			 All schools 3,333 3,252,140 100.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Based on a headcount of solely registered pupils. (4) The number of pupils attending schools of this size expressed as a percentage of pupils at all schools. (5) Pupils included in schools with over 1,500 pupils are also included in schools with more than 1,000 pupils and so on.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Secondary Education: Standards

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Chesterfield of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 628, on secondary school standards, if he will estimate the change in the level of resources schools will allocate to school sport as a result of the removal of the ring fence on funding provided for sports; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The largest item of school spending on sport has been, and will continue to be, the salaries of teachers who teach the National Curriculum programmes of study for physical education for all pupils aged five to 16. This will include virtually all primary classroom teachers, as well as the specialist PE teachers in secondary schools. These costs are already met from the dedicated schools grant (DSG).
	The Department has not estimated total spending from DSG on teachers who teach PE, but we do not expect it to change, as PE will remain statutory for all age groups within the National Curriculum.
	It is for school leaders to decide what additional resources they will provide for school sport from their (enhanced) school budgets from April 2012. The Department does not require schools to allocate specific levels of funding for PE and sport, or for any other subject. The Department has protected school budgets at a time when cutting the budget deficit is an urgent national priority.
	Around £120 million a year of the previous Government's PE and Sport Strategy was given directly to schools and ring-fenced for PE and sport. The Secretary of State announced in December 2010 the direction of travel, and initial funding, for the coalition Government's new approach on school sports.
	Schools will receive funding to allow PE teachers to embed competitive sport in schools across the country and raise participation. Every secondary school will receive funding up to the end of the academic year in 2013 to pay for one day a week of a PE teacher's time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools, and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition. The detail of the time-limited funding announced is:
	The Department will pay school sport partnerships for the full school year to the end of the summer term 2011 at a cost for the final term of £47 million from our 2010-11 budget. This will ensure the partnerships and their service can continue until the end of this academic year.
	A further £65 million from the Department's spending review settlement will be paid to enable every secondary school to release one PE teacher for a day a week in the school years 2011/12 and 2012/13. This will ensure all the benefits of the current system are fully embedded.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultation his Department is undertaking on the future level of funding for sixth forms at maintained schools.

Nick Gibb: We have no plans to consult on the future level of funding for sixth forms at maintained schools as this will be determined by the spending review and subsequent allocation process. As previously announced, funding for all 16-18 providers of education and training will be based on lagged funding from 2011/12. The Young People's Learning Agency published the details of the settlement on 20 December in its 16-19 Funding Statement. Allocations to individual institutions for the 2011/12 academic year will be made by the end of March 2011.

Specialist Schools: Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department plans to provide to local authorities on the allocation of grants for specialist schools.

Nick Gibb: Funding for specialist schools has been rolled into the dedicated schools grant (DSG) from 2011-12. Within the enlarged DSG, each local authority has been allocated the same per pupil amount for specialist schools as in 2010-11. To help minimise funding turbulence for schools, local authorities, in consultation with their schools forum, will be able to take account of the previous level of this funding in each school when making their 2011-12 allocations. The minimum funding guarantee of minus 1.5% will further help to minimise funding changes for specialist schools.

Teachers: Sick Leave

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to reduce the number of days lost among staff in schools as a result of headaches and migraines.

Nick Gibb: Responsibility for the health and wellbeing of staff in schools is primarily a matter for local employers. Accordingly school governing bodies and local authorities need to ensure that they have in place appropriate mechanisms to identify and address the causes of sickness absence and are providing the right support to individuals to guard against the loss of staff working days where this is possible.

Teachers: Training

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the new funding arrangements for schools on Training and Development Agency-funded initial teacher training provision for school teachers.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 December 2010
	 On 13 December, the Government announced the school funding settlement for 2011-12, including the pupil premium. The arrangements for funding schools in 2011-12 are very similar to previous years, and neither they nor the pupil premium have implications for Training and Development Agency for Schools-funded initial teacher training provision. We will publish for consultation a discussion document in early 2011 on our detailed proposals for TDA-funded initial teacher training.

Vocational Education: Finance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department has allocated to schools for vocational learning programmes in the comprehensive spending review period.

Nick Gibb: The general funding Government allocate to schools, including for school sixth forms, for the provision of education is used by schools in accordance with their local needs. Schools are free to use their funding allocation for their own education provision, which can include vocational education for their pupils.

Vocational Education: Finance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether funding allocated to local education authorities for vocational learning programmes in schools is ring-fenced.

Nick Gibb: The general funding Government allocate to schools for the provision of education is used by schools in accordance with their local needs. Schools are free to use their funding allocation for their own education provision, which can include vocational education for their pupils.
	In 2010-11, the following elements of funding allocated to local authorities for vocational education programmes in schools are ring fenced.
	The diploma formula grant is paid to local areas at an average rate of £1,000 per pupil for pre-16 pupils to cover the additional costs of teaching diplomas that could not be met through mainstream funding.
	The local delivery support grant is used to support local areas with the implementation of the diploma and other aspects of what was formerly known as the 14-19 programme. The grant is paid on the basis of the number of young people in the area and the number of approvals for new unique subjects in each local authority.

Vocational Education: Hexham

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received recent representations on the inclusion of a vocational component in the curriculum for 14 year olds in school in West Northumberland.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out a review of vocational education, looking at its organisation, funding, and target audience, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods.
	Professor Wolf has completed a public call for evidence, which promoted a large number of submissions covering a wide range of issues. Professor Wolf will report in spring 2011.

Warrington Collegiate: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding for each pupil aged between 16 and 19 will be available to Warrington Collegiate in each of the next four financial years.

Nick Gibb: Funding allocations for the 2011/12 academic year for schools and colleges, such as Warrington Collegiate, will be made by the end of March 2011. Funding allocations for the remaining academic years of the spending review will be announced before the end of the preceding financial year.

Young People: Cycling

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of schools participating in Go Ride schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 8 December 2010
	According to the latest figures from British Cycling, April 2009 to March 2010, 245 schools participated in curricular and extra curricular activities with go ride coaches. These schools typically engaged in six to 10 sessions.

Youth Sport Trust

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department plan to meet the Youth Sports Trust Young Ambassadors when they deliver their petition against changes in his Department's expenditure;
	(2)  whether  (a) he and ( b) Ministers in his Department have had recent meetings with the Youth Sports Trust Young Ambassadors; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he plans to meet Youth Sport Trust young ambassadors when they deliver their petition against changes in the expenditure of his Department;
	(4)  whether he plans to meet the Youth Sport Trust Young Ambassadors when they deliver their petition against proposed changes in his Department's expenditure on 7 December 2010;
	(5)  whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families has met any of the Youth Sports Trust Young Ambassadors since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answers 29 November 2010 and 3 December 2010
	 The Young Ambassadors is a scheme funded jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and developed and run by the Youth Sport Trust, with additional help from private sector sponsors. It harnesses the passion of young people for competitive sports and uses this to get more young people involved. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has recognised the Young Ambassadors as part of its "Inspire" programme. I was very pleased to meet representatives of the Young Ambassadors on 7 December and recognise their energy, commitment, and the valuable contribution they make. I have offered a follow up meeting with a larger group of Young Ambassadors. The Department for Education intends to continue to fund the scheme through to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is discussing with the Youth Sport Trust options to expand the scheme to allow every secondary school to have a young ambassador and also to include some primary schools.